The Young Lady Of Legends
by Atlantic Jewel
Summary: She was a shy, self-centred and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc
1. Pink Light

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centred and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

CHAPTER ONE

Pink Light

O~O~O~O

The young prince's eyes were closed, but as he concentrated on his breathing he could sense that the flames of the four candles before him were expanding and falling with each careful breath he took. He was trained in the art of his Fire Bending, and this form of mediation was simple to him.

The light of the flames danced across the prince's room aboard his ship, illuminating the dual dao swords on the wall, and the well-weathered yellow scroll on the wall opposite to the prince. It lit the red and maroon robes the prince wore, as well as the faint but shining burn across his left eye.

Still the prince concentrated, but a small portion of his mind was focusing on what had just happened to him, hours ago. He had let the Avatar slip from his grasp, he'd been _so close_ to regaining his lost honour, and then…

In the back of his mind, the young prince heard their voices:

"Your sister was born lucky – you, on the other hand, were lucky to born!"

"You _will_ learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher!"

And his sister's voice, too, mocking him from afar now as she would one day rise to assume the throne…

But, no…the young prince clenched his fist, and the candle flames rose higher than ever. He _would_ show them all. He'd hunt down the Avatar and capture him again, then deliver him to his Father and regain all that was taken from him.

He would show them…

As if looking behind him, he thought about the scroll painting on the wall. It showed a woman wearing traditional robes, and the scroll had a pink wash amongst the yellow.

He wouldn't forget who he was…

He'd promised them _both_ that…

O~O~O~O

The young lady's eyes were closed, as tears slid silently down her face, messing up her eyeliner and mascara. The tears dripped down onto her hands, which shook as they clutched at the hem of her short black skirt. She wore a black singlet, a black waist tie with a red ribbon, black strappy-shoes and a red ribbon in her hair. A yin-yang necklace was around her neck.

In front of her on the coffee table in a vase was a single red rose that was losing its petals and a cup of green tea. On the TV, a movie sat paused, on the scene of a movie she had bought without permission.

She had bought it without permission, like she had done so many other things without permission, and now she was paying the price for those things. They were going to lock her out of her room, stop her from doing the things he loved, the things that kept her going. She couldn't fathom it…

In the back of her mind, the young lady heard their voices:

"You're a useless, lazy, selfish, worthless bitch!"

"If hitting you is the only way I can make you learn, then so be it!"

And her sister's voice, too, from before, telling her that it was no wonder their Mother wanted to kick her out of home…

The young lady's entire body was shaking now, and the side of her face was turning bright red where her Father had struck her. So what if she did things like buy DVD's or go on the internet without permission? Was that any reason to hit her, or swear at her like they did?

The tears fell unhindered now…

She didn't open her eyes but, somehow, she saw through the veil to the TV screen, where the picture of the young man "bending fire" sat frozen. She knew she was praying on an empty star here…

But she wished he was real…

She also wished she had a reason to exist.

O~O~O~O

"Priestess…Emma…"

"Prince…Zuko…"

O~O~O~O

In the celestial gardens, the black and white koi fish that mirrored the ones at the North Pole began to glow bright pink.

Tai Li-Jun hadn't been watching them but, of course, the young goddess sensed the discomfort of the yin and yang spirits, and ran through the halls to the Courtyard Of Rain.

There, in front of the spirits' pond, she saw a tall raven-haired woman in pink robes standing there observing the swimming spirits.

"Qi-Feng!" Tai Li-Jun called, nearly tripping over her robes in her hurry. "Qi-Feng! Your fish spirits are glowing pink again!"

"Yes, I can see that too, Tai Li-Jun," The woman standing before the pond said calmly. "But, as you know, our laws are…"

"To hell with the laws!" The young goddess' face turned the colour of her scarlet robes – Tai Li-Jun was not known for keeping her temper. "I'm sick of seeing them suffer anymore!"

"We're not talking about the fish anymore, are we?" The lady by the pond turned around, and Tai Li-Jun gasped. It was not Qi-Feng at all with whom she was talking, but the lady of Mercy, Kwan Yin.

Tai Li-Jun immediately apologized. "Forgive me, dear mercy, but I was expecting Qi-Feng! Where is…?"

"All is forgiven," Kwan Yin said serenely. Her brown eyes were soft and warm. "Qi-Feng is with Yuexia Loaren in the Temple Of Dimensions."

Tai Li-Jun's own brown eyes widened. "The Old Man Under The Moon?" She gasped. "You mean…?"

Kwan Yin nodded. "Yes – we, too, have decided to grant both their wishes. Emma wishes to go to her prince and he unknowingly…"

"Wishes to be with her also," Tai Li-Jun said excitedly. "But how…?"

"We elder gods have a way of shifting heaven and worlds," Kwan Yin said mysteriously. "Already I believe she is on her way."

"But I'm worried," Tai Li-Jun said suddenly, moving closer to the comfort of Mercy. "Kwan Yin, Emma is very irresponsible, even for a twenty year old. Which is another thing in itself, isn't it?"

"Yes," Kwan Yin nodded. "But, I believe, Qi-Feng has a way of making that alright. She may be able to tweak Emma's age a bit, to make her fit in. I myself have offered her a gift as well – the gift of my song."

"That's why I mistook you for Qi-Feng," Tai Li-Jun said in wonder. "Kwan Yin, you've given up the melody of your voice! But why? How will that help her?"

Kwan Yin's expression remained peaceful. "My child, I am indebted to do all I can to help her. I believe she will be grateful for this serenity I can offer her." Kwan Yin sighed – even without her melody, it was a peaceful sound. "She _is_ being thrown headfirst into a new situation."

"Emma doesn't like change," Tai Li-Jun whispered. "She also doesn't like being told what to do, and she's lazy…however will she learn to get along with a _prince_, even if he _is_ her soul-mate?" Her brown eyes were filled with worry.

"I don't know, my child," Kwan Yin said soothingly. "Emma is a very complex person. But, I believe we shall find, where she is lazy, he is motivated. Where he is hot-headed, she is patient. Where he is strong, she is weak. But, where she is _gifted_, he can help."

"You mean…_wudang_?" Tai Li-Jun's voice was barely above the light rain that had begun to fall. "The truest form of martial arts?" Kwan Yin nodded. "But…Mercy…Emma does not know martial art! She hates most forms of exercise! How is it that she can be the Priestess Of Wudang?"

"Ah, yes," Kwan Yin agreed. "But, in these areas, she will learn and, give time, he will teach her. She will master her skills as Priestess eventually, but to succeed she must put in more effort than she has been recently. It will not be easy for her. She is going to have to put others before herself for a change, but I believe she can do it. And she, in turn, will be able to reach _his_ heart. But, even before that happens…" A small smile played on her painted lips. "I believe they'll have a hard time leaving each other alone…" The smile did not extend to her eyes, however, and she thought: _But, if that is the case, then we may have more trouble to contend with…she'll have to guard __**that**__ power within her until the time is right…the prince won't be the only one who becomes aware of it…_

All people had this power…it was born into them and, as they lost it, they grew old and died. It was there…but for people like Emma, a priestess…or Aang, the Avatar…it was dramatically more pronounced…

_She's only young and innocent…please, heavens…guide her…_

O~O~O~O

Prince Zuko felt the change in the room's atmosphere, and his hazel eyes immediately snapped open. The candles in his room had been yellow a moment ago but, now as he watched them, the flames turned…pink?

The prince was speechless, as he turned around and saw that a pink light had appeared in the middle of his room and…was that a figure, appearing in the light?

It was…

A female, to be exact, appearing in the beam of pink light. He could tell it was a girl, became of the curves where girls had curves, although he had definitely seen girls who were more curvy than this one…but how was it that she was appearing in his room, and in _pink light_ of all things?

She leaned forward in the light now, her face becoming clearer. Maybe it was the fact that she was bathed in candlelight, the light of the prince's inner element, but…

_She's not bad looking…_ Prince Zuko thought, surprising himself slightly.

Then, the girl's eyes snapped open. They were the exact same shade of hazel as his were, which surprised both of them…but, he still wasn't expecting her to do what she did next.

She gasped when she saw him, her eyes swimming full of tears (annoyingly – Zuko _hated_ it when girls cried) and she leapt out of the pink light, straight at him.

The pink light disappeared from behind her, and the flames of the candles blew out, as she landed on top of Zuko.

"Ow!" He yelled, despite himself.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed. Her voice would have been pretty except it was distorted slightly by a high-pitch, probably due to nerves.

"Don't be, just _get off me_!" The prince commanded.

"I'm _trying_!" Her voice was even _more_ high-pitched, if that was possible. "I can't…I think my ribbon's tangled in your robes!"

"Well, untangle it!" He couldn't believe this was happening – could this day get any weirder?

"Okay, okay, I just…wait, what's this?"

Zuko was glad it was dark, otherwise this strange girl would've seen a blush creep over his tanned face. "_That_," He said darkly. "Would be something that _you_ are not permitted to touch."

"Oh. My. God." Her body was on top of his, and so he felt it go snow cold. "Oh Lord…I'm not…hey!" Her voice suddenly became angry, and her body switched from cold to hot faster than lightning. "Get your hand _off_ me!"

Yes, this day _could_ get weirder. "Well move then!"

"Would somebody turn the bloody lights on? !"

The door to Zuko's room opened suddenly, and lamplight from the hallway flooded in as Zuko's Uncle Iroh entered. "Prince Zuko, I…" He trailed off, stunned into silence at the sight of his nephew struggling on the floor with a strange girl struggling on top of him, her waist tie tangled in his robes. She was wearing a skirt shorter than Iroh had seen on anyone, and had thick black circles around her eyes. The look on her face was one of absolute shock and disbelief – she did _not _look as if she belonged.

The look on Zuko's face, Iroh noted, was clear as day. GET THIS GIRL OFF ME…NOW!

"By the way, Prince Zuko," Iroh said calmly, as he watched the two teenagers struggle some more to detach themselves from each other, before deciding to intervene. "Commander Zhao has invited us for lunch – his ship has pulled up alongside ours."

Zuko looked shocked then angry, the girl looked terrified.

Yes, this day just kept on getting weirder and weirder…


	2. Rivals

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centred and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

CHAPTER TWO

Rivals

O~O~O~O

_"Commander Zhao has invited us for lunch – his ship has pulled up alongside ours."_

_Zuko looked shocked then angry, the girl looked terrified._

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

Zuko paced almost angrily along the length of his room, not meeting the gaze of his uncle. He also wouldn't look at me, and I just stared at the floor, feeling scared and embarrassed.

I had, somehow, been dragged into another world – and, not just any world, but the _Avatar_ world. Unless this was all just crazy dream…?

I suddenly remembered, of all things, my mascara. Dammit, it must be running! I reached up to wipe it away. And, in front of Prince Zuko, of _all_ characters. I had always had a fan-girl crush on the prince, especially his movie-self. And, this guy was the splitting image of Dev Patel in the movie, so…

I knew my face must be red or white, as I avoided looking at the prince.

He, however, had different ideas, as he suddenly ceased his pacing and stopped right in front of me.

"Look at me." He commanded, in a voice much more filled with authority as it had been before.

I gulped. I'd forgotten about him being an arrogant, hot-tempered prince. I raised my gaze slightly from his feet to his stomach. _Higher!_ A voice in the back of my mind told me, and I made myself raise my whole head, so as to look at his neck – that was all I could manage.

That seemed to satisfy him, because he went on: "Who are you? What is your name?"

"E-Emma." I said, very quietly. There was something about my voice that frightened me – it didn't sound like me at all!

"I beg your pardon?" Prince Zuko raised his head slightly.

"I…" I lowered my gaze again.

"_Look at me when I talk to you_!" Zuko said, angrily, and I flinched. "_I am the prince of the Fire Nation, son of Fire Lord Ozai_!"

"And Fire Lady Ursa…" I muttered, and it was Zuko's turn to flinch.

"What. Did. You. Say?" He asked me, in a dangerously soft voice. There was a note in his words I have _never_ heard anybody use before – it scared me.

His tone forced me to raise my eyes, and my gaze locked with his.

My heart thudded in my chest, as the prince and I stared at each other. His gaze turned from intense to slightly questioning, and I'm sure mine wasn't as composed – I must've looked totally surprised. His eyes, which were the exact same shade of hazel as mine, bored holes into me, as if searching my very soul. I'm sure that's what I was doing to him.

I saw him as what I knew he was – a boy who had lost everything, and really only wanted respected.

I was suddenly plagued with guilt for being disrespectful, and for mentioning his Mother. Who was I to mention her name, anyway?

I dropped my gaze swiftly, and raised both hands in front of me. I clasped my left fist in my right hand, and bowed my head slightly. I had read about the Chinese salute in a book called _White Tiger_ – it seemed appropriate to use it now. I peeked up at Zuko from beneath my lashes – he wasn't bothering to hide the stunned expression on his face now, as he glanced back at his Uncle. I too stole a swift glance out of the corner of my eye, at where Iroh stood at the door.

He was smiling a little.

I tried to calm down. I also tried to speak clearly. "Forgive me, Prince Zuko," Yikes, what was wrong with my voice? ! It was…_ringing_! Like bells. "I was out of line." _That_ was an understatement.

I lowered my hands and raised my head to look not at the prince, but at a spot just past his right shoulder.

Zuko sighed. "Let's try this again, shall we?" He said, more to himself. "Who are you?"

"My name is Emma," I swallowed nervously. My voice…

Zuko and Iroh exchanged a glance. Iroh nodded slightly to his nephew.

"Very well then, Emma," Zuko seemed to be trying to maintain a good level of politeness with me. "How old are you?"

"Umm…eighteen?" Or thereabouts. Something felt wrong. I reached up and ran my hand along my throat…I felt the raised bumps of my scar, the one I had received when I was fifteen. The scar had flattened over time – it had taken seven or so years. So…now that it was raised again…did it mean I was eighteen again?

Hey, I guessed anything was possible.

"Are you married?"

"I…what?" I blinked but, when I realised that Zuko was waiting for an honest answer, I shook my head and lowered my gaze. "N-no…"

"Hmm…" I could feel Zuko's gaze scrutinizing me. "In most places it is customary for a girl to be married by sixteen." He informed me.

"_Oh_…"

"Though, in some places, this rule is overlooked." The prince went on.

"Oh." _Wait, it's a RULE?_

"Still, you don't appear to be someone from theEarthKingdom." Zuko told me.

"Oh?" _I must sound like a broken record by now! And why is it so important to know my marital status? Next he'll be asking me how many boyfriends I've had!_

"So, my next question is…what nation are you from?" The prince asked me.

"Uh…" I wasn't sure how to answer that. But, at least he hadn't asked me how many boyfriends I'd had, because zero isn't a very impressive number now, is it? Still, this was probably the second worst question – how the hell do I explain I'm from another world? ! If this was any ordinary scenario I didn't want to face, I'd run away. That's what I _really_ wanted to do right now, but I _couldn't_! I glanced helplessly at Iroh. _Wait, he can see spirits and stuff that are travelling through the Spirit World, right?_ I thought, remembering how he'd seen Roku's dragon and Aang that time (did that really happen?). _Maybe he'll be more open to the possibility of my being an…alien?_ "I'm…not from…this world…" I admitted.

Zuko and his Uncle looked completely stunned – they exchanged a glance, and then looked back at me.

Zuko took a step closer to me. "You came from a different world?" He asked me quietly.

I nodded wordlessly. I could see they didn't believe me.

Zuko continued to stare at me with an unreadable expression on his face, until his Uncle (who was the Uncle Iroh from the cartoons only…real…whereas his nephew was from the movies) cleared his throat. "Uh, Prince Zuko…as you know, Commander Zhao is not a man who likes to be kept waiting…" He glanced at me and then back at his nephew.

"I know!" Zuko snapped, tearing his gaze away from me and going over to his Uncle's side. The two shared a meaningful glance, before both nodded. "You," The young prince addressed me, almost sharply. "Stay on this ship and do _not_ let anyone see you." He went to the door and followed his Uncle out. "We'll talk more about this later." He closed the door with a snap of finality, leaving me in utter darkness.

I stood there in the middle of the room, all by myself, before collapsing to my knees.

"No…freaking…way…" I said hoarsely, before bursting into tears.

O~O~O~O

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

"You're not going to say anything?" My Uncle asked me, as we walked along the corridor the ship.

"Like what?" I asked him, waving my hand angrily and igniting a lantern that had gone out in the corridor. Allof the lanterns were out, actually, and so I relit them all with tiny flames. I wondered where the men who patrolled this corridor had gone…probably they were already on Zhao's ship. Damn it! I _hated_ Zhao, right down to his thick sideburns that made him look like a monkey! What was he doing, inviting me to lunch in the middle ofEarthKingdom waters? Probably he was going to mock me in front of everybody…the thought of that made my stomach curl up in frustration. Why did everybody have to insult me like they did? ! Well, not everybody. That girl, Emma, had been disrespectful at first, before she'd corrected herself and treated me with more respect. I hadn't been aware that people outside of the Fire Nation would recognize me as a prince but…then again…she'd said she wasn't from this world. "She appeared in my room in a beam of pink light, claiming to come from another world. What more did you want me to say to her?"

"The poor girl is probably a little frightened by what has just happened to her, Prince Zuko," My Uncle said calmly. "She may tell us more about what she's doing here if she has less reason to be scared."

I just rolled my eyes. I had no time for scared little girls. Besides, I had an Avatar to hunt down, and bring back to my Father. "The only thing she should be scared about," I said, slowly and carefully, as we reached the door that led up to the deck. "Is what will happen if she doesn't listen to me." I stepped out into the open air, followed by my Uncle. The salty breeze filled my lungs, reminding me of the girl's salty tears. She was probably crying again right now. The thought did not do anything to settle the impatience in me.

"About staying on the ship or not letting anyone see her?" Uncle Iroh questioned, casting a glance towards Zhao's much larger warship.

I followed his gaze, feeling hatred for my rival burning into the depths of my heart as I saw the man I loathed. "Both." I muttered grimly, as I felt a pair of amber-red eyes glaring into me, smugly.

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

Once I'd calmed myself down (and, it took a good twenty minutes) I wiped my eyes with my black waist tie as best I could, before creeping over to the door and turning the heavy handle.

"Oh, thank goodness he didn't lock it…" I breathed, and let myself out into the hall. I blinked in the light. I also actually tiptoed out, though I didn't have to because, if I was guessing correctly, all those aboard Zuko's ship were now having lunch on Zhao's ship. There, Zhao would be mocking the prince about wearing Fire Nation uniform, and the thought filled me with anger.

I walked along the corridor, hoping to get up on deck and get some fresh air. Light from large candles dotted along the corridors lit my way, as I walked silently on the metal floor, finally reaching the door that led me up on deck.

"Ah…" I said gratefully, closing the door behind me and raising my head up to the sky. "The sun…" I walked over to the railing of the ship, and leaned over the side to stare at my reflection in the cerulean waters. "And the sea…maybe this world's not so bad after all…" I could appreciate the beauty of nature. I may not spend a lot of time outside (given the choice, I'd rather be inside, watching TV or drawing) but, here, well, I may just get used to it. There were people in this world who could bend the elements. I was a little bit jealous – I've _always_ wanted to be able to do something like that! Just getting to be here wasn't enough – I wanted more!

I sighed in frustration. Mum had _always_ said I was selfish like that – Dad too, in fact. Maybe they were right…I realised that the last time I'd seen them both was when we were arguing. That thought saddened me a little bit – but not enough so that I started crying again. This was my life and if, somehow, I got to be in another dimension, then so be it!

I absentmindedly played with the yin yang necklace around my neck. I'd gotten it inBali, one of the three times we'd gone when I was a child. I'd added to it by threading four beads, two onto each side of the black chord that held it around my neck. Blue and white were on the left, whilst red and green were on the right. To me, they represented the four elements of this world.

Then, it hit me. I was _here_…in the _Avatar_ world…this wasn't a dream, and now I got the chance to do something awesome!

_Live_…

"This is…so cool…" I realised, as a big pink fish with ruffled fins fanning out to orange leapt out of the water, right in front of my face. I laughed, as the water from the fish's dive splashed me, sending cool droplets all over my face. We must've still been pretty far south, since the water was so cold. I wiped the water off with the back of my hand, still smiling…and then I realised that I was being watched.

I looked up, startled, to see a huge ship (how could I have not noticed that before? !) alongside Zuko's. Zuko himself was standing on the deck, beside his Uncle and a man I had not seen in real life before but recognized instantly as Commander Zhao.

My hazel eyes locked with his reddish-coloured ones for an instant, before he turned to say something to Zuko.

I couldn't hear what he said but, whatever it was, it appeared to anger Zuko, before the young prince nodded. His fists were clenched.

My heart began to race.

O~O~O~O

**Iroh's P.O.V:**

It was a very tense silence that followed Zuko saying to Zhao that, one day, he would reclaim his honour. Then, Zhao would have to bow before him. Zuko left the high table then and walked to the back of the room, exiting through the door in which we'd come.

After a moment, I too stood up, bowed my head to Zhao and followed in my nephew's wake.

The eyes of the other soldiers watched us go.

But, Zhao would not let us leave so easily. He stopped Zuko, who had his hand on the door, and said: "The years you've spent at sea have done little to temper your tongue!" His red eyes burned. "My soldiers have informed that you had the Avatar in your possession, but that you let him escape. Is that correct?"

I watched as Zuko's breath hitched in his throat. I could almost hear him thinking: _He interrogated my soldiers? When? When I was busy interrogating Emma?_ "I underestimated the Avatar once, and once only. _I won't do it again_."

Neither Zhao nor I missed the implications of the teenager's words.

Zhao leaned toward him. "You can't compete with me. I have hundreds of warships under my commands. And you – you're just a banished prince. No home. No allies. Your own Father doesn't even want you."

"You're wrong!" Prince Zuko said angrily. "Once I deliver the Avatar to my Father, he will welcome me home with honour, and restore my rightful place on the throne!"

Zhao laughed softly, mockingly. "If your Father really wanted you home, he would have let you return home by now. Avatar or no Avatar. But in his eyes, you are a failure, and a disgrace to the Fire Nation. But then…" His gaze travelled to the left side of Zuko's face, and I felt myself tense. "You have the scar to prove that, don't you?"

"Maybe you'd like one to match!" Zuko exclaimed angrily, without even thinking. He was beyond thinking now – his fists were clenched, and he was glaring at Commander Zhao, with an intense hatred burning in his eyes.

Zhao's fists were clenched now, too. "Is that a challenge?" He asked.

Zuko nodded. "An Agni Kai. At sunset." He added.

"I own a dock for warships that has an arena," Zhao stated, his red eyes flashing. "It will be the perfect place for me to showcase my victory over you."

"Don't count on it," Zuko said, his voice quivering with suppressed anger. "And, when I win, you have to give up your search for the Avatar."

Zhao laughed again. "Fine – but, if you _lose_, then _you_ must give up your search." His eyes searched Zuko's face. "Can you do that? Knowing that you may never set foot on Fire Nation soil again?"

Zuko replied: "I will _not_ lose." He opened the door to the deck swiftly and marched out, followed by myself and Zhao.

I was deeply concerned for Zuko. Zhao was a Fire-Bending Master of sorts, and he was ruthless if not brutal, when it came to such things as an Agni Kai. I don't think the last person he duelled ever really recovered.

I suddenly realised that Zuko and Zhao had stopped, and were staring at something back on Zuko's ship.

Knowing full well what it might be, I followed their gazes.

Emma stood upon deck, leaning against the railing as a giant Solar Fish leapt into the air and splashed her with water. She laughed – a wonderfully ringing sound, like bells – before wiping at the water on her face. I was struck again by her seemingly childlike innocence, as well as the different way she seemed to carry herself when she didn't think anyone else was around. Behind the mask, I thought she must be a strong and beautiful young lady, and I wondered if my nephew thought the same thing about this Emma.

Because, I had no doubt in my mind that Zhao _did_...

Then, she seemed to sense all our gazes, because she looked up. Her face froze, as she stared up at us, and a look of fear crossed her face. Her stance became guarded, meek.

_She knows._ I thought, desperation flooding through my mind.

In front of me, Zuko had gone rigid, staring at Emma. I wondered what his expression was.

Then, Zhao turned to Zuko and said: "I don't know how you managed to get a female on your ship, and I do not really care. For I have changed my mind, Prince Zuko. _When_ I win our little duel this evening, the girl – that girl, on your ship there – is mine. You will give her to me. Understand?"

I suddenly realised that I didn't _want_ to see the expression on my nephew's face, as his fists clenched again but he nodded grimly.

My insides were boiling at the implications of Zhao's words. A girl like Emma…young, innocent, pure…she wouldn't be able to handle something like that. Why is it that nobody had respect for women these days?

And this girl, Emma…a stranger from another world…why was she here? Would she be around us long enough to let us know?


	3. Agni Kai

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centred and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

CHAPTER THREE

Agni Kai

O~O~O~O

**Iroh's P.O.V:**

_In front of me, Zuko had gone rigid, staring at Emma. I wondered what his expression was._

_Then, Zhao turned to Zuko and said: "I don't know how you managed to get a female on your ship, and I do not really care. For I have changed my mind, Prince Zuko. When I win our little duel this evening, the girl – that girl, on your ship there – is mine. You will give her to me. Understand?"_

O~O~O~O

**No One's P.O.V:**

"I don't believe you!" Zuko fairly shouted, throwing his hands up in frustration, causing a few candles in the room to expand their flames. "What part of _don't let anyone see you_ did you not understand? !"

Emma stood there, taking in what he was saying, feeling like a thousand wasps with burning hot stingers were spiking her in the chest. She had her gaze trained on the floor, and tears burned in the backs of her eyes. This was so _unfair_! How was she supposed to have known that Zhao would see her? All she'd wanted to do was get some fresh air, for crying out loud!

"You could have listened to me, but _no_," Zuko paced up and down before her. "You seem to be intent on _not_ doing as I say!" He stopped and glared at her. "You're _still_ doing it now!"

Her head snapped up when she realised what he meant – he wanted her to look at him. The tears brimmed in her eyes, making the irises appear somewhat green. "I'm sorry, okay? !" She snapped, sending the tears tumbling down her face.

"No, it is _not_ okay!" Zuko cried in exasperation, standing toe-to-toe with her. He was a good eleven or so inches taller than she was – she had to look up to meet his gaze. The stubbornness in his eyes enraged him. "Because of _you_, I have to duel that jerk, Commander Zhao! You're in the way!"

"Then why don't you get rid of me, so we can all be on our merry ways? !" Her voice was trembling now, her fists clenched. "You think the _world_ revolves around you, and your plight to get your honour back but it _doesn't_, okay? ! Everyone else in the bloody world suffers, some even more than the poor, banished prince!" She spoke without thinking, she was that upset. "I'm not even _in_ my own world! _This is hell_!"

Zuko didn't think either – he was _sick_ of being treated with disrespect. He got it from his own Father, from his sister, from his rival – and now, from a girl he didn't even know but had to protect from someone he hated! How did she repay him? By openly insulting him, and his mission! With those thoughts clouding his mind, Zuko raised his hand to slap the girl across the face.

Her reaction took him by surprise, though.

"NO, DAD, DON'T!" She screamed, her terrified voice echoing throughout the small interrogation room and through the ship. It was her tone of voice that stopped Zuko's in his tracks more than her words – the tone he himself had used once, and only once, when begging for his Father's forgiveness.

Zuko stared at Emma, as if seeing her in a new light. She had half-turned from him, and drawn her shaking shoulders up to her ears, as she clutched the necklace around her neck and sobbed.

Zuko himself was shaking slightly too. He felt bad for attempting to hurt the girl, and for making her react like this. He glanced behind Emma, to the window, and saw that they were approaching the dock Zhao had spoken of. It was nearing sunset, too.

"Uncle!" Zuko called over his shoulder, and the door was opened almost immediately by Iroh, who glanced at the still sobbing Emma and then back at Zuko with a slightly disapproving look on his old face.

"Yes, Prince Zuko?" Iroh didn't raise his voice, as usual, which was probably even worse.

"We are approaching the dock, and the sight of my duel with Commander Zhao," Zuko informed his Uncle, not wanting to look at his relative _or_ Emma. "Will you accompany me to the arena, Uncle Iroh?"

"Yes, of course I will, Prince Zuko," Iroh nodded his head politely, before glancing at Emma again, and giving his nephew a meaningful Look.

Zuko sighed. "Get her some tea…see if you can calm her down." He said stiffly, before turning and exiting the room. "I'll be waiting on deck." The door closed with a snap.

Iroh sighed, before turning to Emma. "Would you like some tea, my dear?"

Emma sniffled, and raised her head slightly. She nodded silently.

And, on the other side of the door, the young prince waited.

O~O~O~O

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

"Is green tea alright?" My Uncle wanted to know.

"Y-yes, Uncle Iroh…I mean…General…I mean…" She stammered before breaking off.

"You may call me Uncle, if that is what you feel comfortable with." He replied cheerfully, and I heard him preparing the pot of tea.

"Yes, I mean…it's just that…I know that's what _he_ calls you, so..." _He? And who is SHE to call me that?_ I wondered, rolling my eyes. A peasant, probably. Did her world even _have_ hierarchy? Probably not…

I realised that she was speaking again, and that her tone of voice had changed. "Did you…I mean…did you just use Fire Bending to heat that up?" She sounded interested.

"Yes," My Uncle replied. I heard him pour the tea. "I take it you know what Bending is, then?"

I leaned in closer. Perhaps she was a Bender too. That might up her useless usefulness by a small margin, at least.

"Yes," Emma said in a small, wistful voice. "In my world there are…stories, about this world, but that's all they are – stories. I wish I could do it too…oh no, I didn't mean to say that out loud!" She sounded frantic.

"You cannot Bend an element?" My Uncle asked in an odd tone of voice.

"No," She whispered. "People from my world can't do that."

I shook my head and turned, walking away from the door. I'd heard all I needed to hear – the girl wasn't a Bender, she couldn't be a…

What a dismal world she must live in, if she calls this one hell.

Still…I felt a slight bit sorry for her, and I wasn't sure why exactly.

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"What kind of world do you come from, then?" Iroh wanted to know, as he sipped his tea.

"Umm…" I stared down into my tea cup of wonderful green tea, wondering how to describe the world I came from to a person from a world like this. Now, how did Ginta do it? "Oh! There's a lot more people!" I said brightly. "And tall buildings called skyscrapers, and electricity that charges things like lights and radios to play music on! There are cars and trains and airplanes, and everything's convenient…but no magic," I took a sip of green tea, and smiled a little sadly. "Nope, no magic at all." (Or _is_ there?).

"It sounds very interesting," Iroh said, with genuine interest. "But, what about aspects of this world?"

"Huh?" I glanced at him.

"Well, are there any aspects from this world in yours?" He asked me.

"Oh…I see…" I took six sips of green tea while I thought. "Hmm…yeah, I guess there are…there are places in my world where the people are very similar to some of these nations…umm…the buildings, the tea thank God," (Iroh smiled). "The names of people and places here are like those in the country ofChinaback where I'm from…oh, and martial arts. There's, like, karate and tai chi. Stuff like that. Cool stuff." I shrugged.

I thought Iroh's eyes lit up when I mentioned that, but I decided I must've imagined it because he looked very disappointed when he asked if I knew any martial arts and I said no.

"Have you ever had the _desire_ to learn it, though?" He asked me.

I nearly choked on my tea. "Hell yeah!" I exclaimed. "Uncle Iroh, you have no idea how many times I asked my parents if I could take lessons, but they said no!" My heart was hammering in my chest. "They say I'm being stupid about it – my Mum even hit me when I was meditating one time…" I paused, and blushed. Iroh gave me a searching look. "Uh…never mind…the point is, that's why I _need_ it! I'm so small, and not very strong or fast, because I _hate_ sports! But look at me!" I held out my arms. "If I got attacked, there's no way I'd be able to defend myself, especially not here! I'd need a constant bodyguard with all these Benders around!"

"Yes, that's probably true." Iroh agreed.

"Which reminds me…" I said, suddenly remembering. "Umm…Uncle Iroh…what did…what did the Commander say to _him_," Iroh knew to whom I was referring. "That made him so angry?"

Iroh sighed. He looked at me, almost sympathetically, and said: "Prince Zuko and Commander Zhao agreed to place terms on either of them winning their Agni Kai this evening. If Prince Zuko wins, then Zhao must forfeit any attempts to claiming the Avatar."

"And if Zhao _wins_?" I asked quietly.

Iroh looked right at me. "Then Zuko is to hand you over to him."

My heart just about dropped to my stomach then, as my blood ran cold. "W-what?" I whispered, my voice ringing like silver. "B-but why?"

Iroh said carefully: "If that were to happen then…you would be Zhao's, to become what he sees fit…"

"Oh my God…you mean…?"

Iroh nodded.

My hands holding the tea cup began to shake. "Oh my God…" I repeated, my voice barely above a whisper. "I…I just _got_ here, and now…my worst fear…" I closed my eyes.

"It is terrible that such a young lady must be burdened with such a fear," Iroh said, understanding what my murmurs meant. "But, know this," Something in his voice made me look up at him. "My nephew will fight against Zhao with all his strength. He has something to prove against Zhao."

"Zhao's a jerk." I said bluntly. "He should not say those things he says…_I_ should not have said what I said, either." I realised, blushing in shame. "I was wrong, your nephew has been through a lot, more than any person ever _should_. I know his past, I know his story, I should be supporting him, not yelling at him like I did. He could've hit me, but he stopped when I yelled, even though I did call him Dad by mistake," I bowed my head. I hoped I wouldn't have to explain that one. "I just…hope he forgives me…"

"He will," Iroh assured me, standing up and walking around to place a hand on my shoulder. "My nephew may be hot-tempered, but deep down he has a strong sense of what is right and what is wrong. He will come around. You'll see."

"I hope so," I chanced a small smile, as I looked up at Iroh. "Because this really isn't hell."

O~O~O~O

The sky was red with sunset, and I stared out the window at the dock, as I knew the Agni Kai must be going on right now. Despite Uncle Iroh's kind words, I couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that I had.

I had been left alone on the ship. Everyone else had gotten to go and watch the Agni Kai between Zuko and Zhao. I was left alone in the room, staring at the candles lining the walls and trying to Fire Bend.

After awhile I gave up on that, and began to grow bored. That's the thing about me – I _hate_ sitting still for very long, especially when I have things on my mind. Don't ask me _how_ I learned to meditate, because I don't know.

I glanced out the window for the umpteenth time, and thought I heard a gong sound. Doubt began to cloud my mind, and I imagined what would happen if Zuko _lost_.

Somebody would come to get me, and take me back to Zhao. And then…

I shuddered, and stood up quickly. No way was I waiting around for _that_ to happen! I walked swiftly to the door and opened it. I walked out into the corridor and, somehow, managed to find my way onto the deck without getting lost. I guess, despite all my faults, I'm a pretty good GPS. I mean, I may not have any _time_ awareness, but I'm good at finding my way around.

I walked swiftly across the deck, and then down and onto the dock. Ah, solid ground!

I looked around me. Now, where would I go? Were we on an island? How could I escape? There was the sea behind me and mountains in front of me, towering over the naval base. The Fire Nation flag decorated many areas of the base.

"Which way?" I wondered out loud, just as a hand clamped over my mouth.

O~O~O~O

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

"_Disrupt his roots_!" I heard my Uncle shout, and I realised that he was telling me to catch Commander Zhao off-balance. I used my fists to punch fire at Zhao's feet, watching in satisfaction as he staggered backwards. I smirked inwardly. _I'm_ never caught off balance.

The Commander suddenly fell, and I seized the chance to pin him to the ground without touching him – one fist was pointed as his head. Just one burst of flame…

Zhao's red eyes glowed in the sunset. "Do it!" He hissed. "Unless you're too coward to, that is!"

My eyes narrowed. I'd soon wipe that look off his face.

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"I'm not letting you escape that easily!" The soldier said angrily, as he half-dragged me toward the Agni Kai arena. I couldn't tell whether he was one of Zuko's or one of Zhao's, but he was strong and my attempts to break free were futile.

The other soldiers turned their gazes from the fight to watch as the soldier brought me in.

"Caught the prize trying to escape," I heard the grin in his voice as I continued to struggle against him, my heart hammering in my chest. "Think the Commander will let me have her after he's done?"

I felt sickened.

"She's a bit small, isn't she?" Another soldier sounded doubtful. "Why would the Commander have his eye on her, anyway?"

"Who knows what the Commander's thinking?" A soldier wearing a mask (meaning he could bend fire) sighed. "I sure don't…"

I continued to struggle, realizing that I was practically in the enemy's hands now, as I watched the fight unfold between Zuko and Zhao.

My eyes widened in shock and I stopped struggling as Zuko "pinned" Zhao to the ground, and Zhao said something to Zuko. I don't know what he said but, from where I was standing, I could see Zuko's body tensed, and fire seemed to flash in his eyes.

"He's going to do it," A soldier standing beside me and my captor muttered. "Damn, the Commander's gonna be _impossible_ to live with if he's scarred like that."

_He can't do it! He won't!_ I felt my heart hammering so hard I wouldn't have been at all surprised to find out that the men surrounding me could hear it. _But…what's with that look in his eyes? Why does he look so angry?_

O~O~O~O

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

"You know, don't you?" Zhao's smirk seemed to mock me, to shout that I was not worthy to have defeated him like this. "You know what it is…the life essence…what we all want…so strong…"

"You're wrong," I muttered. "It can't be…" _He's lying…he always lies…he couldn't possibly be telling the truth…he couldn't know…_

"Am I?" Zhao's smirk grew. "Give the girl to me and you'll see…when I share her _ching_…"

With a yell, I prepared to strike the fire into him, to scar him like I was scarred.

But, a voice made me stop for the second time that day.

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"DON'T DO IT, PRINCE ZUKO! !" I had managed to break free of the soldier's grasp, and now screamed to the prince in a desperate attempt to stop him from making a big mistake. Tears made my voice tremble, but it carried throughout the arena, high and ringing like a bell. "NO MATTER HOW THINGS CHANGE, YOU CAN'T FORGET WHO YOU ARE! !"

Prince Zuko froze, looking up at me as the soldier grabbed my arm again. Zuko's eyes bored into mine, piercing into my soul, before he nodded once, and said something to Commander Zhao. The prince then turned his back and prepared to go.

I saw, as if in slow motion, Commander Zhao rise and, with a yell of fury, direct a fire-infused kick at Zuko's back.

"NO! !" I shouted, but I needn't have worried.

Uncle Iroh was right there, to get between them and diffuse the flames. He grabbed Commander Zhao's foot as Zuko turned around in shock.

"So, this is how the great Commander Zhao acts in defeat." I heard Iroh's voice clearly from across the arena. "Disgraceful." He pushed Zhao to the ground.

Zuko made a move to get to Zhao, but Iroh restrained him. "No, my nephew, do _not_ taint your victory!" I heard him say, and Zuko relaxed. He glared at Zhao with disdain.

"You're just a coward!" Zhao told Zuko angrily.

"Even in his banished state," Iroh said smoothly. "My nephew has more honour than you do."

Zuko looked surprised, but somewhat pleased at Iroh's strong words.

Then, both of them looked up at me.

I looked first at Iroh and then at Zuko…oh my gosh, I hadn't even realised that Zuko was shirtless! Zuko + no shirt = HOT. Look at all those muscles…

Still, I had a more pressing matter to attend to right now…like getting back to "safety"…

I yanked my arm free of my captor who let me go without a fuss, and made my way across the arena. I could have run but, well, I _hate_ running. So, I walked. I made them all wait.

However, as I walked past Zhao, he stood up, and grabbed my left arm, forcing me to turn back to face him.

"Commander Zhao…" Iroh said warningly, a tone I hadn't heard him use before.

Zhao's red eyes burned into mine, piercing into my soul. But, unlike Zuko's stare, Zhao's was intruding – it violated the very corners of my mind, making me feel vulnerable.

"You will be mine," He muttered, so that only I could hear him. "I will get what I deserve…"

"Emma!" Zuko's voice was suddenly right beside me, and I tore my gaze away from Zhao to look at the prince. The look on his face was suddenly fierce.

Zuko was looking not at me, but at Zhao…no, they were both _glaring_ at each other, and I suddenly remembered how Zhao treated Zuko.

I burned with anger, as I yanked my wrist free of Zhao's grip, before drawing back my right hand and slapping him around the face with all the strength I could muster.

There was a stunned silence, as everyone stared at me, and the side of Zhao's face turned bright red where I had struck him.

"Okay?" I turned to the prince, who wore a slightly stunned expression. "My Prince? I think it is getting late."

I saw, for the first time ever, a smile on Zuko's face – just a small one, but a smile nonetheless. "We're going." He told me, placing a hand on the small of my back and guiding me away.

I caught a glimpse of Zhao's face before we turned. I will _never_ forget the expression in his red eyes. I feared it.

As we were walking away, we both heard Iroh say to Zhao: "Thank you for the tea – it was delicious." I assumed Zhao had offered him tea at some point.

O~O~O~O

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

"Did you really mean what you said, Uncle?" I asked him, as we walked back towards the ship.

"Of course," My Uncle said pleasantly. "Ginseng is my favourite tea."

From beside me, Emma giggled – it was the sound of tinkling bells. I gave her a Look. "And you – I thought I told you to stay on the ship!"

She blushed slightly, but continued to smile. "No you didn't," She replied, her smiling becoming slightly mischievous. "You never said that at all."

My Uncle chuckled softly.

"Well, now I am," I told her. "From now on, you stay on the ship when I'm on it, and you leave only when I leave it, understand?"

"What if I fall overboard?" She wanted to know.

"Don't be pedantic." I scolded her.

Her eyes widened. "Yes, Mum!" She nodded briskly.

I sighed. "And what about _you_? What you said..." I felt a dull ache in my heart. Emma had quoted my Mother, almost word-for-word. "Did you mean it?"

She nodded again. Her eyes twinkled. "Oh, yeah – it's getting _super_ late, now!"

Uncle Iroh laughed outright then, and Emma joined in.

I groaned. I was now officially living on a ship of fools.

"Still," Uncle suddenly became serious, as we boarded the ship, and my crew hurried to join us. "Emma…what you did was also very risky…"

"I know," She nodded, serious as well. "I feel I have made…an enemy…"

Uncle Iroh sighed. "Yes. Commander Zhao will not forget what you did to him today," He glanced at both of us. "Either of you. He will not take this humiliation lightly."

"I understand, Uncle," I said quietly. "I will work even _harder_ to recapture the Avatar," Emma glanced at me quickly, before looking away again. "I will train harder…I will be who I am…" I was standing unconsciously close to Emma now, our arms were touching – her skin was cool in the evening breeze.

"Very good…" My Uncle locked gazes with me for a moment, before looking at Emma. "And Emma…?"

"Please!" She said suddenly, twisting away from me so that she was facing the both of us. Her eyes shone, not only with tears but with something akin to a determined emotion. Then, both my Uncle and I gasped as Emma fell to one knee before us and clasped her hands in front of her in a formal and respectful salute you hardly ever see anybody use. The crew members who were coming up the gangplank behind us stopped in stunned silence. Emma appeared not to have noticed them. "Please, General Iroh, Dragon Of The West, teach me the ways of martial arts, so that I may defend myself!" I noticed that, while she was talking only to my Uncle, her gaze kept switching back to me, as if she couldn't bear to look away from me for very long. "Not only from Commander Zhao, but from the other dangers of this world! I _know_ I may not be worthy to learn these things, and I am not a Fire Bender," I didn't miss the note of longing in her voice, and I'm sure that my Uncle didn't either. "But I am asking you to please teach me…" She dropped her voice to a whisper. "Please…"

She was looking at Uncle Iroh, and we were both looking at her. My heart hammered in my chest, so hard I thought it might fly out. Why was she saying all these things to my Uncle, and acting like it was such a big deal? Then again, looking at her…she didn't look like she'd ever done an ounce of martial arts in her life. How on _earth_ was my Uncle going to teach someone so small the arts of self-defence?

Uncle Iroh had gone perfectly still, and was looking intensely at Emma. I couldn't read the expression on his face, but then he nodded, and a hopeful light flashed across Emma's eyes, to be swiftly replaced with one I knew well – self-doubt. The initial elation was wearing off, to be replaced by worry.

"Umm…" She said, glancing down at her hands. "I've never been…very good at sports…and, I'm not very strong, either…"

_Strong enough to raise a mark on that monkey's face…_ I thought wryly.

Uncle Iroh held out his hand for Emma, and she took it. I watched a strange expression pass over my Uncle's face as he helped Emma to her feet. He released her hand a few seconds later, and then a smile crossed his face. "Do not worry, dear Emma – I think you are a fast-learner."

She beamed. "You bet I am! I picked up the newsagency skills in less than a week!"

We both stared at her.

She dropped her gaze. "Uh…never mind…" She stifled a yawn and, a few seconds later, so did I.

Uncle Iroh said: "Both of you are tired. You should get some rest," He glanced at me. "If we are going to resume our hunt for the Avatar and begin training tomorrow."

I nodded. "Uncle, show Emma to her room." I walked off towards the bow of the boat.

"Yes, I will, Prince Zuko," My Uncle glanced towards the guards. "You," He singled one out. "Please show Miss Emma to her room."

The soldier came forward awkwardly. "Uh, which room sir, the good room or the…not-so-good room?"

"The newly refurbished room." Uncle Iroh stated calmly.

"Umm…which room is that?" The soldier wanted to know.

"The room that _used_ to be the bad room…until the recent refurbishments, that is." Uncle Iroh paused. "You know, we really _should_ rename it, to avoid confusion."

"Just call it "Emma's Room"!" I yelled from across the deck.

"Very well then," Uncle Iroh grinned. "Please escort Miss. Emma to her new room – Emma's Room!"

"Yay." She said weakly, and followed the soldier down below deck.

I sighed. Why was I doing this to myself?


	4. Creative Avoidance

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centred and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

CHAPTER THREE

Creative Avoidance

O~O~O~O

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

_Uncle Iroh said: "Both of you are tired. You should get some rest," He glanced at me. "If we are going to resume our hunt for the Avatar and begin training tomorrow."_

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

When I woke up, to sunlight streaming in across my face, for a second I wasn't sure where I was. Then I realised that my bed was rocking, and I sat up fast.

The thick maroon blanket fell off of me, and I looked around me at my new room aboard Prince Zuko's ship in absolute wonder. It wasn't a big room, as far as rooms go (like, half the size of Zuko's room), but the recent refurbishments had done a whole heap of wonders for the room. It was steel-walled, like the rest of the ship, but decorated with red drapes and gold hangings. It made the whole room seem very…oriental.

I smiled to myself, as I got out of bed, and went over to the window. I opened it, and looked out at the sea. The sun was already high in the sky, which surprised me – what time was it?

Shrugging, I shut the window and turned back around. I had slept in my underwear, since there were literally no clothes on this ship to fit a barely five feet tall girl like me, who weighed about forty-three kilograms at most. The sunlight streaming in onto my body felt good, though, so I enjoyed a few moments to stretch in the sunlight.

And, that was when the door swung open and Zuko came in, asking: "Emma, are you up yet?" In a very impatient-sounding voice.

I swung around in shock, feeling the blood rise to my face as I crossed my arms over my chest (not that there's much of it) and fairly screamed: "_Oh my God, get out, get out, get out_!" As he turned around I hurried forwards and pushed on the backs of his shoulders, to get him to move faster. "_OUT_!" I slammed the door with a very satisfying metal CLANG!.

O~O~O~O

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

"Then she screamed at me and slammed the door on me." I explained to my Uncle, wishing he'd stop eating his thousand-year egg congee for just a minute. "What should I do?"

Uncle glanced up over his bowl. "You're asking me?" He blinked.

I sighed. "_Uncle_…"

"Prince Zuko," My Uncle clicked his chopsticks together. "You walked in on a girl while she was dressing. To say nothing of the fact that she is a girl your own age, who lives aboard _your_ ship, and for whom you have a responsibility for. You made her feel vulnerable inside her own home – you, whom she should trust."

"Are you saying I should apologize?"

"Do _you_ think you should?" Uncle asked.

"Hey, she owes me an apology too!" I snapped, just as there was a small sound from behind us, and we both turned to see Emma standing there, wearing the same clothes she had been wearing yesterday, only now she'd tied the red ribbon in her hair, to form a messy bun.

I was surprised to see her standing there – I hadn't heard her approach.

She wouldn't look at me (she was looking out at the sea, instead) and so, feeling frustrated, I told her: "Look, just get over it, okay?"

Her eyes flashed. "_You_ get over it!" She shot back.

"Hey, I'm the one who got yelled at!" I retorted.

"And _I'm_ the one who has to live with a Peeping Tom!" She said angrily.

"A what?" _Where does she come up with all this stuff?_

"It means a pervert." She explained, glaring at me.

I blinked a few times. _A…a PERVERT? What on earth does she think I SAVED her from yesterday? !_ "Ex_cuse_ me?" I glared back at her. "How dare you refuse to apologize, and then…"

"I won't apologize first!" She told me.

"Well, neither will I!" I replied.

She bit her lip angrily. God, she was such a little kid! "You're such a little kid." She said stubbornly.

_Hang on a second, **I** was the little kid? !_

"Enough!" Uncle Iroh said firmly, and we both turned to look at him. "Both of you should apologize together, so that nobody has to apologize first!"

I glanced at Emma. She glanced at me. We both nodded.

"Ready?" Uncle asked. "Three…" Emma and I both opened our mouths. "Two…one…"

"I'm sorry." I said, but Emma didn't say anything! I glared at her.

She smiled slightly, and relaxed. "Yeah, I guess I'm sorry too."

_She's so immature!_ I thought angrily, watching as she and Uncle Iroh walked across the deck to discuss her training – and her breakfast, which was more like lunch now, considering how late she'd slept in. _And she doesn't even know what Tikuanyin is._ I thought with some satisfaction, as Uncle Iroh explained it to her. _Whatever. I haven't got time to waste on immature brats – I've got an Avatar to catch._

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I stood on the deck of the ship, nervous but determined. Uncle Iroh gestured for me to stand next to him, so I did.

"You have never done any martial arts before?" He clarified.

I shook my head. "No real stuff, anyway." I confided. I'd often gone out the back, onto our five acre property, and practiced random punches and meditating. It even fashioned a bo staff from an old broom, and worked with that on a few trees (poor trees!). I was very self-conscious about what I was going to do now. I'd been half asleep when I'd practically _begged_ Iroh to teach me martial arts, and now, as I stood there, I wondered if I was in over my head here.

"Good," Iroh nodded. "Hold out your hand."

He took my hand and concentrated. His eyes seemed to go right through me, sharp and gold. The same feeling that I'd felt last night when he'd grasped my hand shot through me. It was burning hot, almost scalding, and shot up my arm and into my head before retreating back into his hand. He didn't release my hand this time, and I gulped.

"What was that?" I whispered.

"Something very interesting…" He murmured, before releasing my hand and the warm thing vanished. Iroh smiled at me. "Are you ready to begin?" He asked of me.

I nodded, feeling adrenaline and nerves pump through my veins. "Y-yes." I swallowed.

Iroh came to stand in front of me, about five feet away. "Watch what I do. Then we will do it together."

He raised both arms to shoulder height, with his elbows bent and his palms face down. Then he slowly dropped them. He nodded to me. "Try."

I copied what he had done, raising my arms and dropping them. That was easy.

He sighed.

I felt the blood rush to my face again, this time from embarrassment. "Umm…"

"Try again," Iroh said calmly, and raised his hands and crossed them in front of his chest with the palms in, then moved his hands out and down.

I tried to follow his movements more closely, although I was still feeling embarrassed from messing up something that should've been so easy.

"Calm, Emma," Uncle Iroh told me. "You are as stiff and cold as a block of ice – you must learn to relax."

I dropped my arms to my sides. "It's just…embarrassing…" I cast a quick glance around us – the deck was deserted. "Is anybody watching us?"

"No," Iroh said patiently. "They are all below deck. And, why is it embarrassing?"

"It just…is…" I muttered, not able to put it into words but, somehow, Iroh understood.

"There is _nothing_ embarrassing about starting out, Emma," He told me. "All of us begin somewhere, and everybody learns differently. The best way to learn is the one that works. Now, try again." He demonstrated the move again, and this time I saw that he bent his elbows and relaxed his hands, so I tried to copy that. He watched me silently, then nodded.

I felt a bit better.

He performed the cross-hands move again, followed by the floating-arm move, then finished it with a kind of gentle push.

I attempted to follow this, but messed it up badly.

My face was probably flushing crimson by now, and I dropped my hands, flustered. "I…uh…need a drink…" I invented, feeling more than slightly embarrassed. "Can…can I go and get one?"

Iroh nodded silently.

My heart pounding painfully, I beat a hasty retreat, feeling ashamed and embarrassed all at the same time.

O~O~O~O

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I walked out from behind the corner as Emma disappeared below deck.

"She ran away when things got too hard?" I guessed.

Uncle Iroh turned around. "Prince Zuko," He said to me. "You should not have been watching – she knew that you were." He shook his head.

"How could she possibly know that?" I wanted to know, glancing up to the sky to make sure that we were staying on course of the Avatar.

"Prince Zuko," Uncle Iroh sighed. "Do not tell me that you have not sensed it also – the very thing that drove Commander Zhao to do what he did yesterday."

"Zhao coveted her because she is female," I snapped, feeling the blood rising to my face. "That is all! There is no other reason!"

"Do not fool yourself into thinking that, Prince Zuko," My Uncle said, almost sternly. "You were watching her movements; you know that is possible that she is the Pri-."

"_Don't_ mention the name!" I interrupted him harshly, glancing all around just in case. I leaned towards my Uncle. "_Nobody_ is to make the connection between _her_ and Emma, _NOBODY_. I trust the men on this ship, but not that much!"

"You sound angry, Prince Zuko." My Uncle said mildly.

"Yeah, do you _think_? !" I snapped. I pulled out the map that showed the Avatar's sightings, and brandished it in my Uncle's face. "Look at this! _How_ am I going to find the Avatar, Uncle? He is clearly a master of evasive manoeuvring!"

O~O~O~O

**Nobody's P.O.V:**

Sokka looked at the map in his hands. "You have no idea where you're going, do you?"

"No," Aang grinned. "But I know it's near water."

Katara glanced over the side of Uppa, to look at the ocean beneath them. It stretched on for miles.

"We must be getting close, then." Sokka rolled his eyes.

O~O~O~O

_Back on Zuko's ship…_

"Emma, are you ready to resume your training?" Iroh had discovered Emma in the ship's galley, where he found her scrubbing a huge iron wok with a sponge.

"Huh?" She glanced at him, and then over at the huge pile of dirty dishes that had somehow managed to accumulate. "Uh…no, sorry Uncle Iroh, can't – busy." She returned to her scrubbing.

Iroh accepted this, and left her to clean.

O~O~O~O

_Two hours later…_

"Emma, do you wish to start training again?" Iroh poked his head in the door of one of the cabins.

"Uh…" Emma didn't look up from the board she was focusing on. She sat facing a solider, who wore the same look of concentration that she did. "Umm, no…Daniu here is teaching me how to play Pai Sho." The other soldiers in the room nodded sagely.

"Oh, then I will play the winner." Iroh said casually.

"You might have to wait awhile, sir," One of the soldiers told him. "She hasn't made a move in the last ten minutes."

"Don't rush me!" Emma cried.

O~O~O~O

_Five hours later…_

"Emma," Iroh stopped dead when he entered the cabin, and found Emma brushing the hair of one of the more beauty conscious soldiers onboard the ship. "Never mind." Iroh backed out again.

O~O~O~O

_Seven hours later…_

"Emma, dinner is ready," Iroh found Emma up on deck, staring up at the moon which was now a red crescent. "We're having steamed fish with garnish…Emma?"

She was sobbing silently, her shoulders shaking slightly. "I'm sorry…Uncle Iroh, but I'm not really hungry…I didn't work up a big appetite today…"

"But you did so much," Iroh reminded her. "You washed dishes and played Pai Sho and made Dao-Ming feel more beautiful then he has in a long time."

"Yeah," She shook her head sadly. "I did everything _but_ what I was _supposed_ to be doing." She sighed. "I should've known it would be too hard for me to do."

"Not to worry," Iroh said cheerfully. "We will try again tomorrow…"

Emma looked up. "But…"

"No buts," He said, firmly, taking her by the shoulder and guiding her toward the door. "Now, come and eat – you need your strength."

Emma couldn't find the energy to protest – she was actually starving – and found herself sitting across the table from Zuko, who wouldn't look at her.

Iroh smiled happily as the steamed pink fish was brought in, but the bearer also carried news.

"The Avatar is on Kyoshi? !" Prince Zuko exclaimed, standing up quickly. Emma's eyes shone briefly, but Iroh was the only one who noticed this, as Zuko strode towards the door. "Set a course for Kyoshi Island!" He commanded, leaving the room.

"Are you going to finish that?" Iroh pointed to the steamed fish.

Zuko stalked angrily back into the room and snatched up the plate. "I was going to save it for later!" He snapped, as he stormed back out again.

Iroh and Emma pouted, but Emma's mind was racing.

_Kyoshi…to Kyoshi…to the Kyoshi Warriors…and to Aang…the Avatar!_


	5. Back To Basics

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centred and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

CHAPTER FIVE

Back To Basics

O~O~O~O

_"The Avatar is on Kyoshi? !" Prince Zuko exclaimed, standing up quickly. Emma's eyes shone briefly, but Iroh was the only one who noticed this, as Zuko strode towards the door. "Set a course for __Kyoshi__Island__!" He commanded, leaving the room._

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I approached Iroh the next day, apologetic. "I'm sorry about what happened yesterday, Uncle Iroh…I wasted your entire day because I was…"I gulped. "Selfish…and, I ran away almost straight away…" _As usual…_

Iroh continued to smile – jeez, doesn't he ever lose his temper? Is he _really_ related to Ozai? And Zuko too, for that matter. "That I alright. I understand that some things cannot be done straight away. Ba Sing Sei wasn't built in a day."

I nodded. "Anyway, I've been…umm…practicing a few things…" I had been up half the night, hence why this meeting was taking place around lunch time – I'd slept in. "And…umm…I hope I got it right…"

Iroh was still smiling, as I stood a few feet away from him, and readied myself. I decided to do it with my eyes closed, because that's how I had been practicing it.

Slowly, I performed the cross-hands move, followed by the floating-arm move, and finishing with the gentle push. Then, I went through the routine again, adding a few different things – I wanted to show him that I actually meant what I said. I _wanted_ to learn.

I finished the routine and opened my eyes. A split second too late, Iroh rearranged his expression, but I'd already seen – he looked shocked.

I blushed. "Did I mess it up?"

He shook his head slowly. "No…but…I never showed you those other moves…"

"Oh, I know," I looked down. "I just…sort of…invented them…" I felt very ashamed – had I dissed martial arts completely or what?

Iroh regarded me for a second, before stepping back and performing the moves exactly as I had. I watched for a moment, before realising what he was trying to tell me – the moves I'd "made up" were actually _real_.

We did the routine together five times, adding some new things in. I kept my eyes closed. Occasionally, Iroh would tell me to slow down, to think of myself like a gently flowing stream. I tried to picture how water moves, and tried to move like that.

After awhile, Iroh nodded. "Yes, Emma, I believe I was right – you _are_ a fast-learner. You seem dedicated, too."

I blushed. That's not the words my parents used. They'd used other words, like lazy, and underachiever. "I feel more…like I _want_ to do it today…" I glanced up at the sky. "I know you can't always choose the times that suit you, but…"

Iroh seemed to be regarding me, then he said: "You _do_ seem a lot happier, and more focused today, Emma…like you have something tow ork towards, maybe?"

"Maybe…" I said quietly, glancing at the red bead on my necklace. _Or maybe I'm just picking up on Zuko's happy mood._

Iroh glanced at my necklace too. "You understand the philosophy behind Yin and Yang?" He asked me.

I nodded. "Somewhat…Yin is darker and softer, whilst Yang is brighter and harder…it's also fire whereas Yin is water…" I blushed. "Like men and women…"

Iroh laughed. "Maybe," He agreed with me. "But, remember, that in all their differences, the two still coexist harmoniously, even though they are so conflicted. Each has a small piece of the other within them – they are the perfect match for each other, creating harmony."

_Are we still talking about the symbol?_ I wondered.

"Anyway," Iroh went on, snapping me out of my trance. "We will start you off with a Yin focus, until you build up your strength and confidence."

I nodded again. I'd been expecting that. Dark and soft seemed to suit me just perfectly – I wasn't bright and hard yet.

Uncle Iroh glanced up at the sky. "We have about an hour, before my nephew will be here for hi training."

"Special Fire Bender training?" I guessed.

"Something like that." Iroh replied.

"May I stay and watch?" I wanted to know suddenly.

Iroh glanced at me, before nodding. "I don't see why not."

O~O~O~O

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

"Remember your basics, Prince Zuko," Uncle Iroh said, almost sharply, as I dodged one of my men's fire. "As I said the other day, they are your _greatest_ weapons!"

"Enough of the basics already, Uncle!" I shouted, turning to face him angrily. "I _know_ the basics, I'm the Fire Prince for goodness sake! Teach me the advanced stuff – I'm ready for it!"

"No, you are not, Prince Zuko!" My Uncle replied. He stood on the neck next to Emma, who was sitting on the railing. I watched her nervously – I hoped she wouldn't fall over board if the ship rocked or anything. We were heading towards Kyoshi Island at a fast pace – I _really_ did NOT want to lose the Avatar again, especially since it was possible Zhao might still go after him even though I'd lost. Which made me think: _why is my Uncle so keen on me mastering the basics again, if I beat that idiot Zhao? I'm strong enough for the advanced stuff!_

I walked closer to my Uncle. "You _will_ teach me the advanced fire bending techniques!" I said, in a dangerously dark voice.

My Uncle looked at me and then, fast as lightning, aimed a kick at me. Just as fast, I blocked it, and held his foot there in place.

"You are not ready, Prince Zuko," My Uncle said calmly, though his eyes were sharp. "Emma, can you tell him why?"

Her eyes widened in surprise. "M-me? !" She squeaked – I _hated_ it when her voice got squeaky, it took out the pleasant wind chime sound it usually had. "How could _I _know?"

"Look closely," Uncle Iroh said patiently. "Can you see the fault? Stand still, Prince Zuko." He added.

Emma glanced at us, then looked away. "I dunno…" She then looked back swiftly. "Oh, wait!" She exclaimed, her voice ringing suddenly. "His arm's bent!"

I was shocked for a second, until I realised she was right – my arm _was_ bent. If it had been anyone but Uncle Iroh, then my shoulder could've been pushed back and broken.

"Incidentally," My Uncle said, smiling as I let him go and he returned to his relaxed position. "What would have happened if Prince Zuko had bent his arm the _other_ way, say if an opponent was bigger than him?"

"Then he could've had his elbow snapped back and broken." Emma said softly. "By keeping your arm straight, you can really only be pushed back, depending on where your weight is…I think…"

"Correct." Uncle smiled at her. Then he turned to me. "You see, Prince Zuko? By mastering the basics, and _remembering _them, you can avoid serious injury."

I turned away angrily, my blood boiling. Who were _they_ to tell me this – Emma hadn't even _learnt_ the basics yet! And now my Uncle was telling her to make a mockery of me, in front of my men!

I felt her eyes on my back then, and turned, expecting to see a smug expression on her face. But, the sympathetic look she gave me was enough to quell some of my anger, as she hopped off the railings and turned to Uncle Iroh. "Uncle Iroh," She said quietly. "I personally don't see any harm in teaching Zuko…I mean, _Prince_ Zuko," She corrected herself, blushing. "Some more advanced sets, especially if he's going to face the Avatar soon…Kyoshi has strong warriors, and…" She blushed more. "Well, I mean, I'm no expert and this I none of my business…but it _is_ my business if this one gets hurt." She said the last part extra quietly, but we both heard her. My Uncle and I exchanged a glance, just as one of my soldiers came running up onto the deck.

"My Prince!" The soldier addressed me hurriedly, clearly panicked. "Jin Po just burnt himself on the stove top! His whole hand is blistered! What should we do? !"

I went to answer, but Emma beat me to it. "Run cold water on the hand!" She exclaimed, stepping forward. "Isn't that obvious? You're not Water Benders but you're clearly not idiots!" She charged off towards the galley, with the soldier hurrying after her.

My Uncle and I watched her go.

"You don't meet a girl like that every dynasty." Uncle Iroh said, clearly amused.

I rolled my eyes. "I consider that a blessing actually, Uncle."

"Prince Zuko," My Uncle gave me a piercing stare. "Do you remember what Zhao said to you at the end of your Agni Kai?"

"I will never forget." I muttered darkly. "This is the most annoying situation to be in, Uncle – how can I concentrate on hunting down the Avatar if I'm burdened with protecting Emma? She's in the way! It'll be all her fault if I don't capture the Avatar!"

"Prince Zuko!" My Uncle said sharply, looking past me and I turned to see Emma standing on the deck, one hand over her mouth and her eyes full of tears.

I cringed.

She removed her hand from her mouth long enough to say something that made me feel smaller than Zhao could've _ever_ made me.

"There are many reasons to learn the martial arts, my Prince." She whispered, before turning and running back below deck.

I stared after her, feeling a mixture of remorse and pain in my chest.

"Unless you learn to treat others with respect, Prince Zuko," My Uncle said quietly. "You will never be granted it by them."

"She wanted to learn from you to help me?" I murmured, turning back to look out at the sea.

My Uncle nodded silently.

"Yeah right, like _she _could ever help…" I muttered. "I don't want her anywhere _near_ the battlefield…when we arrive at Kyoshi, tell her to stay on the ship with you, Uncle!"

"Why don't _you_ tell her, Prince Zuko?" My Uncle wanted to know, as I stormed away up the deck.

"Because I'm busy preparing!" I snapped. "We make landfall tomorrow morning!"

"Very well then," My Uncle said agreeably. "I will tell her you are worried for her safety…"

I spun around. "Oh, never mind, _I'll_ do it!" I told him angrily.

"Are you blushing, Prince Zuko?"

"_No_!"

I thought I heard my Uncle chuckle as I stalked toward the bow of the boat.


	6. The Warriors Of Kyoshi

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centred and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

CHAPTER SIX

The Warriors Of Kyoshi

O~O~O~O

_"Very well then," My Uncle said agreeably. "I will tell her you are worried for her safety…"_

_I spun around. "Oh, never mind, I'll do it!" I told him angrily._

_"Are you blushing, Prince Zuko?"_

_"No!"_

_I thought I heard my Uncle chuckle as I stalked toward the bow of the boat._

O~O~O~O

_The following morning…_

"We have arrived atKyoshiIsland," I told Emma, annoyed because she wouldn't look at me. "Please stay with Uncle while I am gone." I was struggling to be polite. "With a little bit of luck, I'll return with the Avatar."

"Good for you." She replied sullenly. She sat on her bed, staring at the wall, her knees drawn up to her chest.

"You haven't got anymore to say?" I was surprised. I thought she would've told me to be careful or something by now. She knows about the Avatar from stories, according to Uncle. Maybe he wasn't that big a threat.

Or maybe she just didn't care.

"Nope. Have fun." She shrugged.

"I will." I replied.

"Great."

"I know it's great."

"Well I'm glad you know."

"I'm glad you're glad."

"Good!"

"Fine!"

"Go!" She snapped, and feeling incredibly angry, I did so, not catching the look she gave me as I stormed out.

_She's such an immature brat, why do I have to put up with this? !_

"What is she even good for?" I muttered out loud. "She doesn't cook or clean unless she's avoiding something, she can't fight yet and she's like a mouse! Why do I even keep her around?"

Because she's beautiful? A nagging voice said in the back of my mind.  
><em>Hey, looks aren't everything…<em>

I never said they were.

_Well, good. Because they're not her only outstanding feature._

So, do you like her looks or her PERSONALITY?

_Who are you, anyway?_

I'm your nagging voice!

_Great, and they say Azula's the insane one… _I thought angrily as I stormed into the cargo bay, where my Uncle had readied the Komodo Rhinos – big, four-legged creatures with horns. Each one wore a saddle, and I climbed up onto the biggest, proudest beast that wore an adorned saddle.

My Uncle looked up at me, words written in his eyes, but he didn't say anything. I nodded. I understood. I put my helmet on.

"Alright men…" I began to say, but they had already moved out. I sighed angrily. Couldn't I find _any_ decent help these days? ! I followed them. "I want the Avatar _alive_." I stressed.

As my Komodo Rhino charged up onto the shore, I felt the need to turn around.

I did so, in time to see Emma come flying up to the railing of the deck. She leaned over so far she nearly fell off, and shouted: "BE CAREFUL, PRINCE ZUKO! DON'T GET HURT!" Her voice rang like a bell. "I'M SORRY ABOUT BEFORE!"

I didn't know what to say to all that, so I just turned back around, raising one arm to wave slightly to her.

_Okay, so she DOES care about me…_

And you care about her.

_Shut up._

O~O~O~O

**Katara's P.O.V:**

"Zuko…" I whispered in fear, clutching Aang's limp body as I hid us behind some rocks, and watched the big reptile beasts carry the Fire Benders towards Kyoshi. Then, I turned back to Aang. "Aang, please, wake up…" I held my hand over his chest and sensed the presence of water in there. Concentrating hard, I removed the water from Aang's lungs in one graceful movement, proud of myself for remaining calm in this stressful situation.

Distantly, I heard a female's voice yell: "BE CAREFUL, PRINCE ZUKO! DON'T GET HURT!" It was the most beautiful voice I'd ever heard. "I'M SORRY ABOUT BEFORE!" She added.

I had no idea who she was, but she had the right idea. "Aang, I'm so sorry about what I said earlier." I told the Airbender.

His eyes fluttered open slowly. "Katara…" He sounded tired. "Don't ride the Unagi…not fun…"

I sighed in relief.

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"It's no use!" I complained. I put down my empty tea cup. "Uncle, I can't just sit here and do nothing!"

"But Emma," Iroh said reasonably. "What could you do if you went?"

"I dunno," I admitted. "But…well, sitting here is driving me crazy! I can't take it anymore!" I stood up and began to walk towards the gangplank.

"Emma, wait!" Iroh called after me. "I'm supposed to keep an eye on you! Prince Zuko said…"

"Then _you_ keep an eye on _me_, while _I _keep an eye on _him_!" I suggested. "Hurry up! I don't want to miss anything!"

"Emma…" Iroh kept pace with me easily. "Why is this so important?"

"Because…" I stopped on the shore, sighing in frustration at myself. "I dunno…it's like when he had that Agni Kai with Commander Zhao…I thought I wanted to run then, but maybe something was telling me to go to him…I just…get the feeling I have to be…where he is…I worry that he's not okay out there…"

Iroh put a hand on my shoulder. "Emma…" He began.

"Don't try to talk me out of it, because I'm going!" I said stubbornly.

"Have you stopped to think how Prince Zuko will feel if _you_ get hurt?" Iroh asked me.

"He won't care," I dropped my gaze. Sand was getting in my shoes. "Zuko thinks I'm the world's biggest pain. He doesn't even know what I'm good for. I heard him say so. He's like my parents…"

We then both heard the scream of Prince Zuko, and our eyes widened in shock.

_What? ! He's not supposed to get injured here on Kyoshi!_

"Go!" I advised, and Iroh listened, running off in the direction of the village faster then any man his age should've been able to go.

I followed at a slower pace, and then I heard a different scream – a high-pitched, young girl's scream.

I changed my course immediately, and ran into a clump of trees. There, in a clearing, a young girl of about five was being cornered by one of Zuko's monster thingies, I think they're rhinos of some description, but like lizards.

"Back off, ya big lizard!" I shouted to it, and it stopped harassing the girl to growl at me. Then, it seemed to recognize me and hesitated.

The girl, who had brown hair and wore a green yukata, screamed suddenly, and I turned in time to see a stray fireball flying at me.

I immediately leapt to the side, and heard and felt the swishing of a giant tail as I hit the dirt. I jumped up straight away, as embers from the fireball fell around us. The rhino-thing looked at me, and then the little girl ran to my side.

"It's so scary!" She cried, grabbing my hand and sobbing.

I gulped. "Come on!" I said, dragging her out of the clearing, away from the rhino.

As we were running, I felt the need to look towards the sea, and watched as a figure jumped from a huge flying creature toward the ocean. He landed on the back of a gigantic sea monster, and then got the creature to spray water on the burning village (Unagi, use Water Gun attack!).

The little girl and I watched in awe, as the boy jumped back up into the air with the grace of a feline.

"Avatar Aang…" The little girl by my side breathed. "He's so cool…"

"Yeah, he sure is…" I agreed whole-heartedly. _I know it all turns out alright in the end, but…_ I bit my lip. _I wanna go with Aang, for some reason…but I can't leave Zuko!_

I wasn't looking where I was going, and ran into someone. I was knocked to the ground.

"Big sister!" The little girl I'd just saved threw her arms around whoever I'd just ran into. "Is the Avatar gone?"

"Yes, Raia, he is," The girl replied, sadly, and I realised with a jolt that I recognised her voice. _Suki…_

"Your boyfriend Sokka too, right?"

"Raia, enough!" I looked up, just as Suki looked down at me. "Who is this?"

"She saved me from the big scary monster!" Raia chirped happily. "Look at her clothes, I bet she's a warrior just like you are, sis!" I was glad I'd chosen to wear white today. "She didn't even get hurt, she's perfectly fine!"

_No, I'm not._ I thought, climbing unsteadily to my feet. I looked around at the damaged and destroyed buildings, and thought: _I have to get out of here before they find out…_

"Are you okay?" Suki was eyeing me carefully.

"Yes," I lied, taking a few steps back. "And now I must go…"

Suddenly, a felt something sharp pinch the side of my neck, on the nerve…oh, great…

I blacked out.

O~O~O~O

**No One's P.O.V:**

"Grandpa!" Suki exclaimed, as he caught the girl who had passed out – because he'd forced her to. "What was that for? !"

"I'm sorry, Suki, but we can't take any chances," Her Grandfather replied calmly. "She could be a Fire Nation spy…"

"But she _saved_ me, Grandaddy!" Raia exclaimed. "She's good, I just _know_ it!"

Suki examined the girl's face closely. "You know, there _is_ something remotely Fire Nation-y about her…her eyes, and her face too…" Her sister gasped. "But, regardless, I don't think she's one of them! We'll keep her here and watch her for a few days, okay?"

Her Grandfather didn't look happy, but he agreed.

The other Kyoshi warriors – Lillian, Li-Ting, Pai-Li and Baoxai – gathered around to help Suki carry the girl to one of the houses that _hadn't_ been damaged in the attack.

"She's small," Li-Ting commented. "But, she also looks like she could spring back and move really fast!"

"She's probably not very strong," Pai-Li commented. "She hasn't got a lot of muscles."

"Still, she saved my sister, and we _are_ in her debt," Suki said sensibly, glancing down at the girl again. "If she wants to learn with us, we might just let her…"

"I wonder who she is and where she's from, though?" Lillian wondered.

"And, where she's going." Baoxai added.

O~O~O~O

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

"Uncle, where is Emma?" I wanted to know.

Uncle Iroh wouldn't look at me. "You didn't see her get back on the ship?" He sounded surprised.

I gasped. "She _left_ the ship? !"

My Uncle nodded, and then we both looked at each other in alarm. "SHE'S STILL ON THE ISLAND!" We yelled.

I ran to the bow of the boat, looking back at Kyoshi which was getting smaller. I gripped the rails with my hands, weighing up my options.

If I went back, I'd lose sight of the Avatar – _again_. I'd be stuck with Emma holding me back, as she was doing now, and who knows if I'd ever find the Avatar again! Plus, I'd have to yell at Emma again for disobeying my orders…and then she'd probably cry. As usual.

However, if I _didn't_ go back, I'd be free of her for good, which is what I wanted, wasn't it? She could do her thing, and I could do mine. We'd be happier apart than together, really.

My knuckles were white around the metal now.

"Prince Zuko?" My Uncle asked from behind me. "What do you intend to do?" His voice was serious now. "You _know_ what will happen to her if they discover she was onboard your ship…"

I closed my eyes.

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I awoke to find myself in completely strange surroundings, and my first thought was not where I was, but:_ Where's Zuko? !_

Then, I bit my lip, realising that he probably sailed away without me by now. Who was I trying to kid? Zuko wasn't going to come back for me, not after I'd been such a brat. He would be _glad_ to get rid of me! Right? I mean, I'd apologized to him. But…he called me a mouse, and other things.

I didn't want to be labelled a mouse.

For this reason, I got straight up and went outside to ask Suki to teach me how to fight.

O~O~O~O

"So, you want us to teach you how to fight like we do?" Suki asked, once I'd found her and the other girls and (stammeringly) introduced myself.

I nodded, fiddling with my hands. It had come to my attention that I'd lost my necklace somewhere, and I missed having that to play with. I did _not_ like meeting new people, and asking them for things.

However, I soon forgot my nerves, as I was outfitted in the traditional garb of the Kyoshi warriors, and I looked so cool! Suki took me through a few things that were similar to what Uncle Iroh had shown me and, when I picked them up easily, Suki was impressed.

"Did someone teach you something like this before?" She asked me, handing me a fan.

"Uh, yeah, sort of…" I shrugged.

"Who?" Suki wanted to know. I decided she was very nice.

"Uh, my…Uncle, for all intensive purposes…" I replied, and Suki smiled from behind her make-up.

"Well," The female warrior said. "I'll bet he didn't teach you this next set…" She snapped out her own gold-coloured fan.

O~O~O~O

**Iroh's P.O.V:**

I sighed, and stared up at the blue sky. I wasn't sure who to be more worried about now, my nephew or Emma. Both were perfectly capable of taking care of themselves, but both were also extremely capable of getting themselves – and others into trouble. Considering whom both of them were, I shouldn't really be surprised. Zuko was important to me, more than he could possibly know. He reminded me of…my son. So, of course I worried for him. And, Emma…well, there was something I could see in her, from her looks to her personality, that made me realise why my nephew might be so attracted to her, though he may not even be aware of it. She certainly wasn't.

I took a sip of tea, fanning myself with a paper fan and worrying about both of the teenagers…

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I trained with Suki and the other girls all day that day and the next, too. I found myself able to move differently, and keep up with the rest of them. Even _I_ was surprised, although I _still_ wasn't able to run along walls and jump real high, yet. Suki said that would come with time. I also helped out a little bit with rebuilding their town, even though Suki's Grandfather didn't seem to trust me. Suki said this was because he'd lost his wife, daughter _and_ son-in-law to the Fire Nation. This made sense.

"Still, he trusts you enough to let you stay here," Suki told me. "As do we, the Kyoshi Warriors. That fan you carry with you is a mark of our trust in you."

I felt kind of bad, since she had no reason to trust me. In fact, she probably had every reason _not_ to trust me…

I was walking along the beach by myself that evening, getting my feet wet and marvelling at the sunset.

I was also missing Zuko, and that thought made me kind of angry.

"So what if he was the first person I met in this world? !" I said angrily, turning out to face the water. "He's still an arrogant, selfish, hot-headed _jerk_, who doesn't know the first thing about treating a lady right, and why did I even _think_ I liked him? ! We have _nothing_ in common, absolutely _nothing at all_!" In my frustration, and without any regard to the ocean's feelings, I punched my fist at it.

I _didn't_ expect to see the waves part. Okay, so it wasn't exactly Moses in the Reed Sea, but still…when I saw those waves move apart, I came to a startling conclusion: _I moved the water without touching it_!

That means…

I stared for a moment, and then a small smile lit up my face. "Aww, sweet, I can Waterbend…" _I dunno how, or why, but I CAN MOVE WATER! ! I'm just like Katara! I can bend an element! Take THAT, non-believers!_

I couldn't believe it- here I was, standing on a beach onKyoshiIslandin the Avatar world, and I could bend water. Truly, this was an incredible day.

I was just about to try itagain when I noticed something off-shore, and my heart seemed to stop.

_A Fire Nation ship! Could it be…?_

Then, I heard an explosion and screams and, without a second thought, turned and took off running back toKyoshiVillage.

Sorry, ocean.

O~O~O~O

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I stooped down, and picked up the familiar yin yang necklace, looking at the beads representing the four nations on the black string. Emma must've dropped it here…which meant she was still on this island. I had spent a day making plans, and now my crew was distracting the villagers, so I could find…

"_That idiot_!" A familiar melodic voice suddenly shouted, and I spun around as I heard running footsteps. "_Why the hell did he come back, he HATES me_!" I wasn't too surprised to see Emma run by me a moment later, and I grabbed her wrist.

"What was that about me being an idiot?" I asked her.

She gasped. "Z-Zuko! I…well…why did you come back for me? !" Her eyes were sparkling as she said this, though.

"I'm beginning to wonder the same thing…" I said but, when I looked at her, I knew why. She may be a late-starter, a lazy, unmotivated mouse…but…I liked her, for some unknown reason of doom, and I didn't know why. She had a warm, caring nature I wasn't used to yet. I wanted to find out _why_ I couldn't stand to keep her away. "It just…_annoys_ me when you're not around," Her eyes widened. "And, it annoys me even _more_ not knowing _why_…" I sighed in frustration.

Tentatively, she asked me: "Is it…because we're…friends?" She blushed.

I looked down at her, surprised. I hadn't expected that from her. "Y-yeah, I guess so…" I stammered. "Listen, I know you think I'm…arrogant, and hot-headed and a jerk…so…it's okay for you to yell at me…and even to run away from me…but, even if you don't want to come back…even if you don't like me…I'll keep bringing you back…"

"_That's not it_!" She exclaimed, looking right at me. "It's not that I don't _like_ you! Even though you act like a jerk, you're hot-tempered, hard to get along with, obsessed with capturing the Avatar and possibly a pervert!"

_There she goes again…I AM NOT A PERVERT!_

"The truth is, I've always _liked_ your character from the story! I always found Fire to be the most fascinating element! I wouldn't have minded being a Firebender! I think fire is beautiful!"

I just stared at her. She was looking back at me, her eyes bright, and I could see that she was blushing even in the darkness. Finally, I said, a little coldly: "There's nothing beautiful…about fire." I watched as her eyes raked the scar on the left side of my face. She seemed almost…sympathetic? I softened my voice. "Do you want to come back? I won't force you, but…"

She smiled. "I want to go back…even though Suki and the girls have been really nice, and taught me how to fight like them…I want to go back to where everyone is…" Her eyes were _too_ bright now.

"Well, come on then!" I snapped, before she could start crying. "I never said anything about crying! I have to get back to hunting the Avatar!"

"W-wait!" She exclaimed. "I can't just _go_! S-Suki and the others…if I just vanish, they might come looking for me!"

"I know…" I replied. "I've thought of that…hey, what are you _wearing_?"

"…the official garb of the Kyoshi Warriors."

"…right…"

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"NO! LET ME GO!"

"_Just shut up, and hold still_!"

I was dragged into the village, where Zuko's Firebenders were getting their tails kicked. Everyone stopped what they were doing, to see me restrained and officially captured by Zuko.

Suki and the other warriors stopped, and looked at me, their faces not betraying their feelings.

"The Avatar isn't here anymore!" Suki's Grandfather said to Zuko. "Just leave us be!"

"Very well then," Zuko replied, his grip on me not as tight as it appeared. We were playing our parts perfectly. "I'll take this girl with me, though."

"Why are you doing this?" Suki and I asked in unison, which was pretty cool. We unwittingly matched our pitches and inflictions perfectly.

"Insurance." Zuko replied calmly, giving the signal to his men to move out. He began to drag me back with him.

"Emma!" Raia exclaimed, close to tears.

I looked back at her. "It'll be okay, Raia, I promise!" I looked up at Suki. "Thanks for teaching me, Suki. I know we'll see each other again…"

"Hurry up, already!" Zuko snapped, some of his impatience _not_ a part of the act. "Come on, _move_!"

"Okay, _alright_ already!"

"No back-talk!"

So, I left Kyoshi, and Suki, knowing that when I saw her again, it would be under different circumstances. She was a good friend…I just hoped she would still be if she ever found out the truth…

O~O~O~O

Back on Zuko's ship, which was cutting through the water once again, Uncle Iroh greeted me like a long-lost friend. I was back to wearing normal clothes again (a white and red robe with a red waist tie) and had my necklace back again. I decided to keep my new-found ability of being able to bend water a secret, for now. Until I learned how to control it, and could use it better.

I'd meant what I said though…I would have _liked_ to have been able to bend fire.

I glanced at Zuko, and was glad he'd come back to get me. Well, I would be, at least until we had our first argument…


	7. Yang Chong

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centred and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

CHAPTER SEVEN

Yang Chong

O~O~O~O

_Finally, I said, a little coldly: "There's nothing beautiful…about fire." I watched as her eyes raked the scar on the left side of my face. She seemed almost…sympathetic? I softened my voice. "Do you want to come back? I won't force you, but…"_

_She smiled. "I want to go back…even though Suki and the girls have been really nice, and taught me how to fight like them…I want to go back to where everyone is…"_

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

_"My child…my child…"_

_"Who are you?" I reached out into the pink clouds that surrounded me, searching for the source of the comforting voice._

_"My child…Emma…do not be afraid…" A slender, middle-aged Chinese lady appeared from out of the mist. She wore a flowing robe of shining blue, and had an enormous amount of hair piled on her head. She moved with the grace of a princess and her smooth oval face was angelic. I had the irrational feeling that I wanted her for my Mother._

_"Who are you?" I asked again, gulping._

_"I am called Kwan Yin," Everything about her was serene, her face, her voice, even her movements. I was comforted immediately by her presence._

_"You…you're Mercy…" I recalled._

_She nodded. "Yes…I am one of the ones who sent you on your journey into the world you are in, the "Avatar world". But, I cannot guide you from that world, so I must send someone else to be your companion…" A series of images flashed through my mind, that made no sense. "In time, they will…and now, I must go…"_

_"Wait! I have just one more question – what's it like to fly?"_

_"In time, you will know…"_

_"Wait!" I reached out my hand, but she was already gone…_

O~O~O~O

Someone was standing over me as I awoke from this dream, and I flung out my hand in real life.

"OW! !" Zuko yelled, staggering back from my bed and clutching his bloodied nose.

"Oh no!" I cried, sitting up fast and, ignoring my night-robes, jumped out of bed to help him. There was already blood on the floor. "Sit down, and lean your head forward!" I commanded, going into medical mode. "Pinch your nose here, just below the bony bridge!" I showed him where to do it and, for once, he listened to me. "Now, we need to keep it there for five minutes, then check. Don't let go…DON'T! Just hold it." I sighed, and sat down next to him and put me head in my hands. "I'm really, _really_ sorry, Prince Zuko…"

He gave me a Look, and didn't answer. We stayed silent for three minutes, and then he asked me: "How did you know what to do?"

"You mean treat a blood nose?" I asked. He nodded. I shrugged. "Oh, I took a few courses in high school, nothing _too_ fancy just first-aid 101. I could identify a wound, disinfect it, bandage it up for you…no problem."

"And, clearly, _cause_ it." He replied wryly.

"I _said_ I was sorry!" I exclaimed. "It's your fault for trying to wake me up so early!"

"It's nearly lunch-time!"

"Oh."

We were silent for a few moments, before I asked: "We're not off to a good start, are we my Prince?"

"It could've been worse." He replied, giving me a look that clearly meant _though I don't see HOW_.

I placed one hand on his shoulder and, with my other, removed _his_ hand from the bridge of his nose to check. To my relief, the bleeding had stopped. I sighed. "Yeah, it could've been…" I glanced down at myself. "Okay, shower time…" I decided.

"Wait, what about the room?" Zuko asked me, a little annoyed.

"Forget the _room_! I look like a crash victim!" I replied, going over to get some clean clothes. "I'll handle the room later!"

"It's always later with you, isn't it?" I heard the Prince mutter as I walked down the hallway.

"_I heard that_!" I yelled over my shoulder.

"_Good_!" He yelled back.

"It's another peaceful day, isn't it Emma?" Iroh said cheerfully, as we passed each other in the hallway.

O~O~O~O

In the shower room, I washed the blood off my body, and then, taking a few furtive glances around, faced the water.

"Okay, it's just you and me, water," I told it (like it could hear me). I remembered pretending to Waterbend back in my own world, standing on the beach and moving back and forth, kinda like hula dancing. I'd wanted to try to bend water since I'd first found out I could do it yesterday, so now…

"Umm, right…how did Katara do this?" I tilted my head to one side, and moved my hands up. Nothing happened. I sighed in frustration. "She makes it look so _easy_!" Maybe I _couldn't_ Waterbend, maybe it had just been a fluke or something…

I shook my head, and wrapped a towel around my body, before sitting down on a stool.

_Why can't I get it?_ I thought, looking at the water on the floor. It didn't make any sense, I'd done it yesterday…the warm feeling I'd felt in my hands _couldn't_ have been a fluke…

I tried to remember what I knew about Waterbending. I tried to find some sort of energy inside of me that could move water.

For some reason, right then, my mind wandered back to Zuko. I hadn't really ever had to utilize my first-aid skills before, and I was glad I'd been able to help him, even though it _had_ been my fault. I'd liked helping him out, though. I vowed to be able to help him if he ever needed me again…like, if Zhao the jerk _did_ attempt to kill him, I would help heal Zuko…somehow…

A warm glowing feeling reached my fingertips and, as I drew my hand up, a small stream of water rose up from the puddles on the floor. I was so startled that I lost my focus and it splashed back onto the floor. The warm feeling in my hands was gone, but I could remember it plain as day, and knew I'd be able to call on it again.

A grin slowly lit up my face. I COULD WATERBEND! !

O~O~O~O

"No, Uncle!" Zuko snapped that evening, after we'd finished dinner. "I _refuse_ to partake in Music Night!" He stood up. "There's no time for things like this, I _have_ to capture the Avatar!"

"But, you won't be capturing the Avatar tonight, Prince Zuko," Iroh said reasonably. "You yourself said that we won't catch up with him until the day after tomorrow, so why not enjoy an evening off?"

"Because I have to make plans!" Zuko retorted impatiently. He stormed out of the room.

Iroh looked at me. "Emma?" His voice and face were so sad that I _couldn't_ say no!

I nodded. "I'll…listen in…"

O~O~O~O

_Winter, spring, _

_Summer and fall. _

_Winter, spring, _

_Summer and fall _

_Four seasons, _

_Four loves _

_Four seasons _

_For love…_

I listened to the song, smiling as I had been for the last half hour. Zuko's crew wasn't half bad, sure they were Fire Nation soldiers but, as I knew already, not all Fire Nation people were evil. Just…some of them.

"Hey, Emma," Jin Po smiled at me. "Why don't you sing?"

"Because I don't sing." I said flatly.

"Aww, come on, _everybody_ sings." Daniu coaxed.

"Prince Zuko doesn't." Emma reminded them.

"That is because my nephew has other things to do with his time," Iroh stated calmly. "He is actually a very good singer."

I made a mental note of that.

"Come on Emma, just _one_ song?" Three crew members asked in unison.

I caved in. "_Fine_, alright then, but you won't know it…" I cleared my throat, and they allleaned in expectantly. Trying to calm my nerves, and ignore the pounding of my heart, I took my fan out of my pocket and used it to hide my face so I wouldn't have to look at anybody as I sung.

"_This Romeo is bleeding, but you can't see his blood  
>It's nothing but some feelings<br>That this old dog kicked up  
>It's been raining since you left me<br>Now I'm drowning in the flood  
>You see I've always been a fighter<br>But without you I give up_

_Now I can't sing a love song  
>Like the way it's meant to be<br>Well, I guess I'm not that good anymore  
>But baby, that's just me <em>

_If you told me to cry for you, I could  
>If you told me to die for you, I would<br>Take a look at my face  
>There's no price I won't pay<br>To say these words to you_

_Well, there ain't no luck in these loaded dice  
>But baby, if you give me just one more try<br>We can pack up our old dreams, and our old lives,  
>We'll find a place, where the sun still shines<em>

_Yeah I, will love you, baby  
>Always and I'll be there<br>Forever and a day, always_

_I'll be there, till the stars don't shine  
>Till the heavens burst and the words don't rhyme<br>I know when I die you'll be on my mind  
>and I'll love you, always…<em>"

I stopped singing, and dared to look at everyone. They were all staring at me, their mouths opened and their eyes wide.

"W-what?" I blushed, and hid behind my fan. "W-was it really that bad? I mean, I _know_ I'm no Bonjovi, but…"

"Are you kidding? !" Dao-Ming exclaimed. "That was _incredible_! I haven't heard that sort of talent since Fire Princess Ur…"

"I want to hear Emma sing more!" Iroh declared loudly, and I felt my heart hammer in my chest. Had Dao-Ming been about to say _Ursa_?

Daniu grinned. "We should teach her the lyrics to _our_ songs now!"

"Yeah!" The other soldiers agreed.

I, however, didn't forget what Dao-Ming had been about to say. Was my voice _really_ like Ursa's?

O~O~O~O

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

My heart was hammering in my chest as I listened to Emma sing. I was watching from a shadowed area of the ship and, when I heard her sing, I was stunned. For all her complaining, late-starting, annoyingness and crying, she could _sing_, and she could sing _well_. With the fan held in front of her face (she was _still_ a mouse) and her hair tied up that way…

I swallowed. It was painful for me to admit, but…she reminded me of my Mother.

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"Down, Emma," Uncle Iroh said, gently pushing my arm down. "Don't imagine your opponent higher than you are. You are smaller than most others, you have the advantage. Make them come down to you."

I nodded and lowered my blocking arm. Then I spun and punched, punched with the other hand, and blocked again. I was tired – it was practically the break of dawn, and here I was, up on deck, training.

"And, again."

I went through the set again. Step, punch, block, punch, punch.

Then, I stopped.

"Is there a problem?"

I shook my head. "I hope not, just…we only started this about a week and a half ago, yet it feels like I've been doing it for much longer…like, I already know this stuff…"

"I see…" Iroh nodded. "Well, you _are_ a fast-learner, and some people take to the martial arts very quickly. You are a natural at it, I think." He looked at me intently.

I blushed. "Or, maybe I just have a good teacher?"

Iroh chuckled. "Maybe. Now, show me the set again."

I performed the set for him again, remembering not to go too high.

Uncle Iroh nodded. "Very good. Now, add three palm strikes at the end of the last block." He demonstrated and, for a man that does not like to fight, I realised that I would _never_ want to be on the receiving end of his attacks. "Block. Punch, left, right, then three palm strikes."

I did this, and felt the familiar tingling in my fingers again.

Just then our captain, Lieutenant Jee, called: "Those waves are being unusually dramatic today!" And, indeed, the waves were doing some strange things…because of me!

I immediately dropped my hands to my sides, my heart hammering. "Eek…" I muttered. Iroh looked at me strangely. "Uh, I mean…I really need something to _eat_, I'm starving!" I bowed quickly to him, before disappearing below deck, scolding myself for not having better control over my Waterbending. I was still revelling in the fact that I could Waterbend! However, I _had_ to learn to control it. Maybe, if we followed Aang to the North Pole…

"_I'll do it_!" I declared, pumping my fist into the air just as Zuko entered the corridor, and the candle flames seemed to burn twice as bright, or maybe that was just me.

"You'll do what?" Zuko gave me a confused look.

I blushed. "Umm…try to be up at this time every day?"

Zuko nodded approvingly. "Now, that's better."

I rolled my eyes.

O~O~O~O

That following day, we docked the ship off the coast of theEarthKingdom. However, as Zuko stated, we weren't too far from a Fire Nation civilization, and I realised it was one that I'd seen in the movie.

I wondered what awaited us there…

As it turned out, we were temporarily splitting up. Zuko was going off on his own, and I was to go with Uncle Iroh.

I didn't like it.

"Where are you going?" I wanted to know.

"It's none of your business." Zuko replied snappily.

"Yeah, well…it _is_, since I don't know when you'll be back!" I retorted.

"And, neither do I! So just stay with Uncle Iroh, and wait for me to get back!" Zuko replied, closing the conversation.

We parted ways angrily.

Along the way to the Fire Nation settlement, Uncle Iroh tried to console me. "He does these things on his own, and he always comes back. Believe me, it is better to just let him hunt the Avatar in his own way at times. Do not worry about him."

"Oh, I wasn't worried," I lied, lifting my head up. "Not in the _slightest_."

Uncle Iroh didn't press the matter as I walked on ahead of him, but I could feel his eyes watching me.

When we reached the town, I was pretty surprised by what I found there. "Umm, what the hell is going on?" I wanted to know.

"Ah," Uncle Iroh's face lit up, as he came to stand beside me. "We picked a most _wonderful_ day to visit this town, Emma! It's _Zhi Yuan_ Day!"

"It's _what_ day?"

"_Zhi Yuan_."

"…I see."

Iroh explained as we walked through the town that it was the day of Foundation and Origin, that celebrated when the Fire Nation had first begun to settle in other parts of the world.

"And, to you, that's a _good_ thing?" I asked quietly, as we stopped in front of a dress shop. "Uncle Iroh, with the _utmost_ respect for you and your nation…and, I do mean _all due respect_…I think this war's gotten out of hand. Fire Lord Ozai I hurting millions of people with what he's doing, and war makes _everyone_ do weird things. It _shouldn't_ be happening at all."

Iroh stared at me, before nodding thoughtfully.

"Just…don't tell anyone I said that, or I'll get toasted…literally…" I muttered, just as a pair of hands grabbed me and yanked me into the shop.

O~O~O~O

**Katara's P.O.V:**

My eyes shone with admiration as I watched the Earthbenders stand up for themselves again. Haru and his Father, plus all the other prisoners, joined by Aang, worked together to throw the Fire Nation soldiers off of their own ship, claiming it and reclaiming their lives.

I was proud of them, and of Aang. This was the first step to him truly becoming the Avatar, I thought. To help free other nations oppressed by the Fire Nation.

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"Oh, she's just _darling_!" It was dark inside the dress shop, so all I knew was that the owner of the voice was a young woman. "Find the perfect robes for her, let's _really_ beautify her!"

I was helpless to do anything in the shop, as I was stripped to my under-robes and redressed in some sort of heavier gown, my hair was brushed and set with gold combs, and my face was painted with something akin to make-up.

"She looks _stunning_!"

_How could they see? !_

"Another perfect masterpiece, she looks fit to stand beside our great lord, even!"

_What the hell? !_

"And, with that, we are done!"

Then, I was pushed out of the shop all of a sudden, and the door was slammed and locked behind me. I stood in the sunlight, blinking. I turned to look at the shop's name, and saw that it was: **Quality Robes**. Huh. Sounded like Harry Potter. I wondered where Hedwig was.

Iroh was waiting for me across the street and, when he saw me, he froze.

"Uncle Iroh, _what_ did those people _do_ to me?" I demanded to know, glancing down at my robes, which were gold and maroon with shades of red. "What do I look like?"

"You look like…" Iroh stopped himself, and shook his head slightly. "You look fine, Emma."

"One of the people in there," I said, glancing over my shoulder just as another unwary passer by was dragged inside. "Said I looked fit to stand beside Ozai…what the hell, I mean…? That…doesn't make any sense…who the hell would even _want_ to now…?" I murmured.

Iroh sighed. Then, his face brightened. "Never mind that, I want to enjoy the festival while we're here…I heard there's a Pai Sho tournament atnoon!"

"You can't enter that, it'll be unfair to everyone else!" I exclaimed.

Iroh laughed. "Well, we will see, won't we?"

O~O~O~O

Later that day, Iroh and I walked down the street, and people moved out of our way to make room for the large gold statue trophy in Iroh's arms.

"You shouldn't have entered that tournament, you know," I scolded him. "You don't see _me_ broadcasting my…talents…to the…world…" I'd stopped walking and was staring at a hand-painted poster, which was written in "Chinese" so I couldn't read it. It had never occurred to me that I was unable to read the writing system, but I thought I could easily decipher the picture of the singing girl, and then the symbol for money (_that_ I knew) as well as the question mark. But, I had to call Iroh back to be sure.

"A singing contest," Iroh translated. "The winner will receive the designated amount of money as a prize, as well as a "mystery prize"…Emma, we _really_ must teach you how to read…" He trailed off, because I was off and running – literally. He had to hurry to catch up with me.

O~O~O~O

There were nine other people in the singing contest, five boys and three girls, and then me.

I looked at them, feeling nervous all of a sudden.

"I want you all to sing from the _heart_!" An older lady who was rather chunky exclaimed. She was hosting the contest. She'd told us to call her Mama Wun. "Now, all of you, get out there and _siiiing_!"

As we were waiting for our turn, the girls sat on one side and the guys sat on the other. The holding area behind the stage was small, but we couldn't see the stage from there.

"Hey, who are you?" One of the girls, wearing black and gold robes, asked me. She was of the Fire Nation (well, they _all_ were, but she really _looked_ it), and had a haughty look about her. "I've not seen you before…"

"No…I…umm…my name is…uh…_Ursa_ _Majora_…" Now, why did I go and say that? Suddenly, they were all looking at me, and a few of them began whispering to each other. I nearly groaned. Ursa Major is a constellation, but I think I might've said it in reference to Princess Ursa…I knew they would make that connection.

And, suddenly it was my turn to sing.

"Go on," Mama Wun encouraged me, as I stopped before reaching the stairs – I had stage-fright. "Go out there and introduce yourself and your song, dearie, then _siiiing_!"

Did she say it like that _every_ time?

I nodded, before walking slowly up onto the stage. My feet felt like they were made of lead.

Everyone cheered, but something about that made me want to bolt right then and there. I couldn't, though, because Iroh was watching, and I didn't want to have to explain things to my surrogate Uncle later on.

I suddenly had an idea, and reached under my robes to grab my fan. I snapped it out in front of my face, and said (in what I hoped was a loud enough voice): "M-my name is…Ursa Majora…and…th-this song is called _Eternal Flame_!"

I wasn't surprised when everyone in the crowd cheered loudly.

As I looked out at them over my fan, I realised that they seemed like ordinary people, and they were – their leader just happened to not like every other nation, and that wasn't their fault.

I began to sing, softly at first, but louder as I gathered more confidence.

"_Close your eyes, give me your hand, (darling), can you hear my heart beating, do you understand?_

_Do you feel the same? Or am I only dre-aming…_

_Or is this burning…an eternal flame…_

_I believe, it's meant to be, (darling), I watch you when you are sleeping,_

_You belong with me!_

_Do you feel the same? Or am I only dre-aming…_

_Or is this burning…an eternal flame? !_

_Say my name, the sun shines through the rain, oh-h, life, is so lonely, and then come and ease the pain,_

_I don't wanna lose this feeling…o-h…_

_Say my name, the sun shines through the rain, oh-h, life, is so lonely, and then come and ease the pain,_

_I don't wanna lose this feeling…oh…_

_Close your eyes, give me your hand, (darling), can you hear my heart beating, do you understand?_

_Do you feel the same? Or am I only dre-aming…_

_Or is this burning…an eternal __fla-a-ame__…_"

I stopped singing then, and peeked out from behind my fan. There was one moment of silence, and then _everyone_ began clapping and cheering! I was so startled that I just stood there, the crowd hadn't reacted so loudly to any of the others! Maybe…maybe my voice really _was_ that good…

Behind me, I heard Mama Wun exclaim: "My goodness, she can _siiing_!"

O~O~O~O

"I didn't do it on purpose." I protested, as Iroh and I returned to the ship that night.

"I never said you did." He replied calmly.

"But you were _thinking_ it…" I glanced down at the golden egg in the little box I carried in my hands. "Soooo…what d'ya suppose is _in_ this thing?"

"I have many theories…" Iroh said mysteriously, as we walked back onto the ship where Zuko was waiting for us.

I had changed back into my normal robes by this time, so as not to invoke the same reaction I'd gotten today.

I showed Zuko the golden egg, and asked him what he thought it might be.

"It has the symbol for Yang Chong on it," He stated, pointing to the embossed characters.

"Meaning?"

He gave me an odd look. "Burning honour."

I gasped. "R-really? ! Wow, that's cool! So…what does it mean?"

"I have no idea."

I gave him a look. "Oh, yeah, very helpful…" I paused. "So, what did _you_ do today?"

He reached into his pocket, and held up something. "I secured something that may help us hunt down the Avatar…" He showed it to me.

I gasped again. "K-Katara's necklace!" I was visibly alarmed. "Z-Zuko,you _can't_! Her _Mother_ gave her that, right before she was _killed_ by your Father's soldiers!" I walked quickly towards the other end of the boat, clutching "Burning Honour". I had a lot of thinking to do.


	8. Of Earth And Of Heaven

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centred and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

CHAPTER EIGHT

Of Earth And Of Heaven

O~O~O~O

_I glanced down at the golden egg in the little box I carried in my hands. "Soooo…what d'ya suppose is in this thing?"_

_"I have many theories…" _

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"There, there, little egg," I crooned, practically singing to it as I cleaned it with a cloth. "Soon you'll hatch, into a…" I paused, and then smiled. "_Something_!"

"I could tell you what might hatch from that egg, if you want," Iroh told me.

I didn't look at him, but smiled. "Nah, I prefer to be surprised…" I was wearing an old pair of bathers, dug up from God-knows-where by Iroh, who was reclining in a hot-spring without the need for any clothes. I was in the hot-spring next door to him. Both were being heated by him, the Firebending genius of the world. "I can't wait for you to hatch, my pretty little egg…"I whispered, feeling kind of maternal about it. I heard Iroh chuckle, as he settled into his bath.

We were on the trail of the Avatar, however Iroh and I had taken some time out to relax in a home-made Jacuzzi.

It was…awesome.

Zuko, however, was not impressed.

He came storming into the glade, as I sang the song _Platinum_ by Maaya Sakumato, and Iroh listened.

"Uncle! Emma!" Zuko said angrily, and then stopped when he saw me. He cleared his throat. "Both of you! We need to continue our search for the Avatar! Let's _go_!"

I was about to stand up, when I remembered something and turned away, just as Iroh stood up, revealing his lack of clothes.

"_Don't look, egg_!" I all but shrieked, shielding my golden egg from the sight.

"Aurgh!" Zuko, apparently, was not so lucky. "On second thought, why don't you take a few more minutes?"

I hear Iroh sit back down, and dared to look at Zuko. "Me too?" I asked.

He gave me a Look. "No. You're getting out right now."

I pouted. "But, me and the egg want to relax a few minutes longer…all we ever do is run after Aang anyway…"

"You have five seconds to get out of there, or else I'm coming over to get you!" Zuko warned me.

I _really _didn't want to get out. Back home, I used to stay in the shower for as long as I dared, or as long as my parents would _let_ me. I guess I just _loved_ hot water! Maybe I was more like a Fire Nation person than anything else.

"I'm staying here."

"No, you're not. Get out, now."

Then, I had an idea. I gave Zuko a defiant look, submerged my body under the water and, shimmying out of my bathers top, I took it and threw it onto the ground.

Zuko and Iroh stared at it.

"Make me." I said, smugly.

Zuko gave me a Look. "_Fine_. Both of you, if you're not ready in half an hour, I'm leaving without you!" He cast one last look at the bathers top, before storming out of the glade angrily, muttering something about women.

Iroh sighed in content and settled back into the water.

"Easy for you to say," I told him, realising this was one of those times I should have thought about what I was doing _before_ I did it. "How am I supposed to get my bathers top now?"

O~O~O~O

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I was quite annoyed at the behaviour of my Uncle and Emma. Didn't capturing the Avatar _mean_ anything to them? ! Well, perhaps not as much as it meant to _me_, but I still thought they should show some report. As it was, Emma had been more focused on that egg she'd won than anything else, and it was annoying. True, the weird maternal glow she'd had was a lot more refreshing than her usual whiny attitude, but she needed to prioritize.

Like I was – capturing the Avatar came _above_ everything else. We were in theEarthKingdom now but, luckily, staying right on the Avatar's trail.

I also had the Water Tribe girl's necklace and, despite what Emma had been saying to me, I intended to utilise it if I could…

_Z-Zuko,you can't! Her Mother gave her that, right before she was killed by your Father's soldiers!_

She was acting like that Water Tribe girl was the _only_ one who'd lost her Mother to the Fire Nation…but, that wasn't true now, was it?

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

_"You're so selfish, you only ever think of yourself!" My Mother yelled._

_"What the hell is WRONG with you? !" My Father shouted._

_Even my sister was there. "You're such a brat!"_

_It was a horrible nightmare, made up of all the realities._

_The faces closed in around me, and the pain seemed to intensify, pain where they had struck me before._

_"Bitch!"_

_"There's something wrong with you!"_

_"Lazy cow!"_

_"Worthless!"_

_"Useless!"_

_"You need to be kicked out of home!"_

_"No!" I screamed, tears running down my face as the darkness closed in. "No, no, NO, NO! !"_

O~O~O~O

I awoke with a start, tears still sliding down my face before I realised that it had only been a dream. I sighed. I hoped I hadn't screamed in real life, and I glanced over at Uncle Iroh. I noticed, to my relief, that he was asleep, and wondered how long I had been out for.

I glanced up, and realised that we must have missed Zuko's deadline. Oh.

I got out of the water, intending to get my top, dry off somehow, and get dressed again (I had decided to wear my Kyoshi garb today!), then put my egg back in its cotton-lined box, wake up Uncle Iroh, and go and meet Prince Zuko. All in that order.

So, of course, I wasn't happy for the interruption, and scolded myself for having forgotten about theEarthKingdomwarriors.

I gasped, and clutched my top to my bear chest as they used Earthbending to trap Iroh. Then, they noticed me.

"Uh…" One of them said.

I gulped, and glanced back at the pools, not at Iroh but at the golden egg. It was fine.

"His clothes are Fire Nation, sir," One of the warriors stated firmly. "But, hers areEarthKingdom."

"She must be his prisoner." The second one declared, and their captain nodded firmly.

I was just about to protest, stating that I was _not_ a prisoner and that they had no right to capture Iroh and that I was going to kick all their tails for this, when I heard a slight sough from behind me, and turned to see Iroh shaking his head ever so slightly. He was looking right at me, his hazel eyes intense.

_My_ hazel eyes were filled with tears, but I blinked back and bit my lip, not trusting myself to nod. Wait until the time was right…I couldn't take on all these Earthbenders by myself…

I kinda wished Zuko was here, though I knew he'd show up eventually…

The problem?

The Earthbenders didn't let me take my golden egg with me, and I became…_difficult_.

O~O~O~O

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I returned to the hot-springs later that afternoon to find them both empty. There was no sight of Emma _or_ my Uncle. Further investigation of the area proved my suspicions. My Uncle had been captured by Earthbenders!

But, what about Emma?  
>No doubt, they had taken her too, because when I looked I saw that golden egg of hers. I picked it up – it felt very warm to the touch – and put in that box she'd been carrying it around in.<p>

Then, I looked up at the sky.

_I'll find you both._ I vowed. But…what if I saw the Avatar first?

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"…How about now?"

"_No_."

"What about now?"

"_No_."

"Now?"

"For the last time, _no_!"

"…_Where_ are we going?"

The soldier I was riding the weird creature with yanked said creature to a stop, angrily. "I told you two minutes ago, we're going to Ba Sing Sei!" His Ostrich Horse tossed its head.

"How long will it take to get there?"

He didn't answer, but just groaned in frustration and we continued onwards.

"Hey, don't blame me, I've been at sea for three days…" I muttered, leaning my head against his shoulder since I was still tired. "Three days at sea…eek…"

"Really?" He seemed slightly interested. "Why so long?"

I shrugged. "How should I know? It's not _my_ choice…"

"Oh, yes, that's right…" He said, a little darkly. "I forgot you were a prisoner…" He glared over his shoulder at Iroh. "A prisoner of the _once great_ General Iroh, who once laid siege to our great city ofBa Sing Sei for six hundred days."

"_Six hundred days of fighting_? !" I nearly shrieked. _I've heard this before, but it just sounds even worse when I hear it now…_

"Mmhmm…" The Earthbender captain nodded. "But, Ba Sing Sei would not yield to the fire tyrants."

I glanced over my shoulder, as Iroh looked up and, for a second, he caught my eye. "I acknowledge my defeat at Ba Sing Sei! After six hundred days, my men were tired! _I_ was tired, in fact…" He yawned, and I watched him waver a little. "I'm _still_ tired…"

"Oh God, he's on the ground!" I yelped, as Uncle Iroh feigned sleep and fell off the Ostrich Horse.

He left behind one sandal and, in the confusion, I made sure to toss down my necklace, so that Zuko would know that I'd been there, too. I was wearing my Kyoshi garb, which was difficult to move in, but was still able to get the yin-yang necklace off from around my neck.

O~O~O~O

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I was in hot pursuit of the Earthbenders who had _dared_ to kidnap my Uncle and Emma, and now I came across a sandal that belonged to my Uncle, and Emma's necklace.

I sighed. Those two were more troublesome than they seemed, and possibly more than their worth. They really were two of a kind, tea-totalling, hot-spring-loving, musicians. My quest would be a lot easier if I were rid of them both…and speaking of which…

I looked up, startled, to see a familiar large white shape flying over the tree-tops. "The Avatar's Bison!" I exclaimed, recognizing the unique creature immediately.

I began to turn my Komodo-Rhino in that direction…but, a thought stopped me.

_Even in his banished state, my nephew has more honour than you do…_

_The truth is, I've always liked your character from the story!_

Zuko shook his head, trying to clear it. Then, he sighed in frustration, and continued on.

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I happened to look up, and see something I _didn't_ expect to see.

A blue dragon, its body long and serpent-like, was snaking through the sky above us, a boy of about twelve on its back.

It wasn't supposed to be there, which is why it was so incredible.

"_Fang_!_ Aang_!" I exclaimed, without thinking and everyone – including Uncle Iroh – shot me a startled look.

I closed my eyes, and immediately whipped out my fan, hiding my face behind it. I'm sure it (my face) was scarlet red by then.

"She's weird…" I heard the other warrior mutter to his captain as we continued on our way. "Though, still kind of cute…"

I gasped softly, and closed my eyes. Oh, great, that was _all_ I needed.

I suddenly opened my eyes, as Iroh asked the soldiers to tighten the chains around his hands, as they were making his wrists sore.

As this was happening, I happened to glance at Iroh, who was looking at me intently. I gulped, and then nodded ever so slightly. I knew what he wanted to do.

I watched as Iroh breathed onto the iron hand-cuffs, using Firebending to heat them up and then burned the soldier's hand.  
>He rolled down the cliff and the Earthbenders tried to stop him, as I attempted to come up with my own plan of escape.<p>

_Where ARE you, Prince Zuko? !_

O~O~O~O

We found ourselves at the bottom of the ravine, and the Earthbenders decided to crush Iroh's hands, saying that they were too dangerous to be allowed to remain.

I know I paled. "Umm…crush?" I repeated, a little too shrilly. They all looked at me. "But, won't that, like…_hurt_ him?"

"Yes," The Earthbender captain said patiently. "However, after all he's done, he deserves it. The pain will be his teacher."

"_You sound like Fire Lord Ozai_!" I wailed, as they levitated a huge boulder over Iroh's hands. Iroh himself just looked at me, his face not betraying any of his emotions but his eyes were startled. "_This isn't right_!"

"_No, it certainly isn't_!" The voice I'd been waiting to hear suddenly yelled, and Zuko sprang out of nowhere, kicking aside the boulder and then using his heel broke the chains binding Iroh in half.

"Excellent form, Prince Zuko," Iroh praised him, as they faced off against the soldiers.

"You taught me well." Something in Zuko's voice made me want to "fan girl".

I held my tongue, however, as they easily defeated two of the soldiers…wait, what?

The last soldier, the one that had called me cute, was still standing beside me, and now Zuko faced him down.

Glancing at him, I wondered why he didn't just let me go. If he let the Earthbenders take me, then he'd be free of me. But, then, I recalled his words: _Listen, I know you think I'm…arrogant, and hot-headed and a jerk…so…it's okay for you to yell at me…and even to run away from me…but, even if you don't want to come back…even if you don't like me…I'll keep bringing you back…_

I suddenly realised that the Earthbender had too tight a hold on me, and it was inappropriate!

"Let her go…" Zuko told the Earthbender.

"Why do you care?" The Earthbender wanted to know, holding me tightly. "A girl like this isn't suited to a prince not even his own Father cares about!"

Anger blazed in Zuko's eyes but, before he could react, I'd finally had enough. I spun around to get in front of the Earthbender, and looked up at him. I hoped my eyes were as cold as my voice as I stated: "_Never say such things to my prince again_."

I kneed him in the fork of his legs.

He howled with pain, and then I kicked him in the side, and he went down.

I jumped back, surprised by my own strength. "I'm stronger than I thought…" Then, I remembered how the Earthbenders had been about to crush Iroh's hands and, unthinkingly, I ran over and hugged him. "Oh, Uncle Iroh! They were going to crush your hands!" I cried, horrified.

He patted my head. "It is alright, Emma. Everything is fine now…"

"No, it _isn't_, Uncle!" I heard Zuko snap. "_Please_ put some clothes on!"

I jumped back, and yelped. "Oh God, he's right!" That reminded me. "Hey, Prince Zuko, where's my golden egg? ! You brought it with you, right?"

Zuko nodded. "The box is on the Komodo Rhino's saddle…" He trailed off, as I scurried up the cliff-side to get to the top. Once there, and with the egg in its box safely in my arms, I turned and called: "_Thanks for saving us, Prince Zuko – you are the BEST_!"

"She's an incredible woman, isn't she Prince Zuko?" I heard Iroh mutter.

I could see Zuko rolling his eyes from all the way upon the cliff.


	9. Of Crescents And Of Commanders

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centred and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

CHAPTER NINE

Of Crescents And Of Commanders

O~O~O~O

_"No, it certainly isn't!" The voice I'd been waiting to hear suddenly yelled, and Zuko sprang out of nowhere, kicking aside the boulder and then using his heel broke the chains binding Iroh in half._

_"Excellent form, Prince Zuko," Iroh praised him, as they faced off against the soldiers._

_"You taught me well." Something in Zuko's voice made me want to "fan girl"._

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

_"You are saying that my son is now travelling with a female, is that correct?"_

_"Yes, Milord."_

_"What nation is she from?"_

_"I do not know that, my Lord. I have only heard that she is around the Prince's own age, brown hair, hazel eyes. She interrupted the Agni Kai between him and Commander Zhao."_

_"She did _what_? !"_

_"She also reminds people of your wife, Milord?"_

_There was an intense heat then, and the sound of screaming as fire came into contact with skin._

O~O~O~O

I awoke, also screaming, and Uncle Iroh came running.

"Emma, what happened?" He wanted to know, as I sat up in bed. It was still very early morning, no one in their right mind would be awake at the moment.

I gulped, and tried to control my breathing. Iroh had brought a candle into the room, and even its flame seemed to be affected by my heavy breathing, so I had to calm down. "It's…Ozai…he knows I'm travelling with Zuko, and he isn't happy…" I explained. Iroh looked understandably shocked. "He…he burned the guy who told him, because he said that people thought I looked like Princess Ursa…" I closed my eyes, unable to forget the sound of screaming, the feeling of the heat. "I could…_feel_ everything in the dream…it was like a vision…"

Iroh was regarding me with what seemed to be a mixture of sympathy and…curiosity? "Emma," He said carefully. "Yesterday…did you happen to see a…"

"Blue dragon flying overhead with a little boy riding it?" I finished for him. I nodded. "It was Aang, in the Spirit World…I think…Fang was taking him to a crescent-moon shaped island. He has to go there in real life in order to talk to Avatar Roku's spirit…"

I suddenly looked past Iroh, to see that Prince Zuko was leaning against the doorframe, listening in. My mouth dropped open. "How much did you hear?"

"The important part – the part about the Avatar!"

"D-didn't your Mother ever tell you _not_ to eavesdrop?" I exclaimed, bunching the blankets up around my chest.

Zuko ignored me. "We're going to follow the Avatar to that island!" He declared, turning around and marching away.

"But…but…" I stammered a protest, stumbling out of bed and hurrying after him, with Iroh right behind me. "Prince Zuko, it's in the Fire Nation!"

O~O~O~O

"The egg feels really warm…" I whispered, standing there on deck with the box in my hands. I then cast a worried look at Prince Zuko, who was also standing on deck. We were sailing right into Fire Nation waters, which was a disaster waiting to happen. Despite my misgivings and Iroh's warnings, Zuko was intent on chasing the large flying white Bison in the sky above us.

I looked up at it. _That's Aang up there as well…_ I realised, feeling my heart thud. _The personification of this planet itself…_

I suddenly looked ahead, and noticed an entire fleet of much bigger, scarier-looking ships than ours. "Prince Zuko!" I cried in alarm, hurrying to stand beside him and Iroh. The ships were forming a line, a barricade of sorts.

Zuko glanced ahead, and his face became set in a mask of determination.

"The Avatar isn't turning around or stopping!" Zuko glanced at me. "It's as you said."

I was suddenly too terrified to reply. I just clutched my egg tightly.

"You are an enemy of the Fire Nation as of your banishment, Prince Zuko!" His Uncle reminded him.

"I'm chasing the Avatar, my Father will understand!" Zuko responded.

"You give my brother too much credit – he is not the understanding type." Iroh said urgently.

"I am going to do this, Uncle." Zuko told him firmly.

"Prince Zuko, if you are captured whilst in Fire Nation waters, there is _nothing_ I can do!" Iroh warned him. "_Do not_ do this."

Prince Zuko didn't respond, and just ordered the catapult to be launched.

Up in the air, I watched as Appa dodged the fireballs.

"_Oh God…_" I whispered. "_Aang_…"

"Prince Zuko, technically we are still inEarthKingdomwaters," Iroh was going to try one last time to persuade his nephew to abandon his chase. "If you turn back now, you won't be arrested."

Prince Zuko closed his eyes. I recognized that look.

"Zuko, _don't_!" I begged him. "_Please_!"

"I'm sorry…" He mumbled, so softly we could barely hear him. Then, he pointed one arm forward, and yelled to our helmsman: "_Run the blockade_!"

O~O~O~O

**Zhao's P.O.V:**

I watched as the Avatar approached, and then ordered the catapults to be launched. One of my men suddenly stated that one of our own ships was out there.

"Not to worry," I said, a little coldly. "It belongs to a traitor…" I smiled slightly. "And…his little lady friend…" I could see the white-clad figure on the deck, next to the banished prince. _Three finds in one day…I must be lucky today…_

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I couldn't believe we were still able to keep going, after the damage we'd sustained from one stray fireball. Daniu said that we should stop for repairs, but of course Zuko wasn't having any of it.

"But Prince Zuko!" I cried, placing the small egg box into the front of my robes where it would be safe. I grabbed his arm with both my hands. "Zhao's ship is among them! We're out of luck!"

Zuko looked at me, and seemed about to either answer or shake of me off his arm, as Team Avatar caught Sokka, who had fallen, and then Aang saved them all with one impressive display of Airbending techniques.

Zuko's hazel eyes pierced into my own. "We _will_ be lucky…" He responded, as we moved through the line of warships…and they let us pass.

I knew that Zuko's face would betray none of his confusion at this, and that Iroh just looked thoughtful.

As for me?

Well, as I clung to Zuko's arm and stared up at Commander Zhao's amber eyes, I probably _looked_ about as terrified as I _felt_.

Zhao's expression, however, sent chills down my spine, and I clung to Zuko's shoulder until we'd passed the blockade, and the Prince murmured to me: "You're hurting me."

I let go of him.

O~O~O~O

"I'm coming with you!" I exclaimed.

"No." Zuko replied firmly.

"Yes, I am!"

Zuko looked at his Uncle, his impatience leading him to seek parental advice.

Iroh cleared his throat. "Much as I want Emma to remain _out_ of danger…uh, I believe she will probably follow you _anyway_, Prince Zuko, so…"

"Plus, I know where he's going and why!" I piped up cheerfully. _And, I can stop you from getting pwnd…_

He sighed in frustration. "_Fine_! I don't have time to argue today, just get in!"

I hopped into the smaller vessel, and we moved out under the smoke cover.

"Just so you know," I whispered, checking the egg box in my robes. "Zhao wasn't fooled…"

Zuko shot me a Look. "Why don't you keep your mouth shut until we reach the island, okay Emma?"

"Is that an order?"

"Yes!"

"Aye aye, captain!"

"Shut up."

O~O~O~O

"_And I remember…how it all came true…_"

"I thought I told you _not_ to open your mouth…"

"I can't help it, long boat rides make me bored…_it was all so tender, and I was lost with you…by the sweet __Sorrento__ Moon_…"

Zuko gave me a look like I was crazy, and then muttered: "You know some weird songs, Emma."

"Hey, I _like_ my music!" I was defensive. "You should hear my heavy metal music! It's very dark…hey, actually, you'd like that song I sung to win this egg…it was about fire…hey, hang on…" I drew out the front part of my robes, to notice that the egg box had grown very warm by this stage. _Could…could it be? Is the egg getting ready to hatch? !_

"What's the matter?" Zuko wanted to know, although he didn't sound terribly interested.

"Umm…tell me something, my Prince," I looked up at the evening sky. "Why is capturing the Avatar so important to you?"

"I have to reclaim my lost honour…and my birthright…" Zuko said quietly.

"And…this is the way to do it? By taking away someone _else's_ honour?" I challenged him.

He wouldn't look at me. "You wouldn't understand – you're just a peasant." He told me. "You probably don't have a hierarchy system in your world. From the way you act your world is probably perfect, you don't _have_ a story to tell, or a scar to bear!"

"First of all," I said angrily, swinging one hand back and accidentally upsetting the waves which, thankfully, the Prince did not notice. "We _do_ have kings and queens, just not in the country _I_ live in! I've never even _met_ one but, if I did, I'd hope they wouldn't be as arrogant as you are! Secondly, my world is _not_ perfect, so don't you _dare_ think that for a _second_! I'd wager I know more about your past than you do mine! I have plenty of stories to tell, and none that I'd like to share with you right now, Mr. High-And-Mighty! And lastly, what the hell do you think this is on my neck, a birthmark? !" I pointed to the white scar. "I had a bloody disease that could've _killed_ me, like it did my Grandparents, and everyone at school called me an anorexic and gothic freak! _So don't tell me I'm just a peasant who wouldn't understand_!"

A cold gust of wind seemed to blow just then, and Zuko said, as coldly as the wind: "We are here."

And so we were.

O~O~O~O

I watched from behind the pillar as three things happened, in this order:

Zuko captured Aang.

Aang escaped from Zuko.

Aang went into the room.

The entire temple was massive, with red walls and gold trimmings, pillars and paintings on the wall and a very fiery air to it. The air was warm, although the egg box at my chest was even more so.

The Fire Sage who had helped Aang and the others before, proceeded to tell Zuko that it had always been the Fire Sages duty to help the Avatar, but they were interrupted by Zhao.

My insides ran cold as he and his men came forward and placed Zuko under arrest. My heart hammered in my chest. I wanted to run out there and help my Prince, even though I knew it would turn out alright…

Then, something happened that I _wasn't_ expecting.

I saw a pink light suddenly emerge forth from within me, and the blue glow coming from the room Aang was in seemed to grow. As I stepped out, almost unwillingly, from behind the pillar, a blue beam of light shot out from under the door, and connected with the centre of my forehead, from which came a beam of _pink_ light, that returned to the room.

Everyone was silent and shocked, staring at me, but I have to admit that I _didn't_ see them. What I saw, instead, was what Aang was seeing, and I knew that he could see me too, because he asked me who I was.

I think I might've said I didn't know.

Why was this happening, and how?

I didn't know, and suddenly it didn't matter because, just then, a pair of hands suddenly clamped around my wrist out in front of me, and the spell was broken.

I stared up into the burning amber eyes of Commander Zhao.

I gasped.

"Emma…" He told me. "I haven't forgotten what you did to me that time…" His hands were clamped very tightly around my wrists, and I _know_ my heart was hammering. "Still, I'm glad you're here…we can make it three captures in one day…"

No! NO! I was helpless to move, though. He had me in a vice-like grip. He was very strong.

"Sir!" One of Zhao's men called. "The Avatar is coming out."

"Good." Zhao smirked.

I craned my neck to look past him, saw Zuko's alarmed eyes, and then the doors opened.

"Aang!" Katara and Sokka shouted in unison.

"It's not Aang!" I yelled to them, desperately. "It's Avatar Rokku!" My melodic voice rang out through the room.

"_What_? !" Zhao turned around, just as Rokku/Aang began to destroy the entire building with his blue light.

I was torn from Zhao's grasp and, as the floor opened up to reveal the lava below, I lost my footing. I caught sight of Zhao's shocked face above me as I fell…heading down towards the lava…


	10. White Water

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centred and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

CHAPTER TEN

White Water

O~O~O~O

_"It's Avatar Rokku!" My melodic voice rang out through the room._

_"What? !" Zhao turned around, just as Rokku/Aang began to destroy the entire building with his blue light._

_I was torn from Zhao's grasp and, as the floor opened up to reveal the lava below, I lost my footing. I caught sight of Zhao's shocked face above me as I fell…heading down towards the lava…_

O~O~O~O

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I saw Emma wrenched free from Zhao's grasp, which ordinarily would have been a good thing, had it not been for the open pit of lava. I saw her fall, as if in slow-motion, backwards, saw her wide eyes full of terror, her mouth opened in a silent scream – and then she was gone.

My heart hammering painfully in my chest, I was only dimly aware of the building caving in around us, as Zhao and his men fled with the captured Fire Sages, and the Avatar's friends attempted to reach him. I knew that to attempt anything of the sort myself now would be too risky, but what good would it do for me to run to where Emma had fallen? Why on earth were my feet carrying me towards the pit, as I dodged pillars of lava and streaks of blue light?

Why was I running when she was already dead?

My Uncle was going to _kill_ me…if the fire didn't do it first.

Even now, as I got down on my hands and knees and prepared to look over the edge, I recalled Emma's words earlier on.

_I always found Fire to be the most fascinating element! I wouldn't have minded being a Firebender! I think fire is beautiful!_

I closed my eyes briefly, thinking how ironic her thoughts had been now, before a pink light in front of my eyelids made me open my eyes again in shock.

I couldn't _believe_ what I saw when I looked down there.

A pink ball of energy hovered just above the flames, which were lapping up at its sides. It was the most incredible thing I had ever seen, save for the Avatar's spiritual state. There was just so much _raw chi_ emitting from its centre, and I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was _Emma_ wrapped up in that light. I just didn't know _how_, or _why_…

Suddenly, the light seemed to implode, and was drawn back into Emma, to a point on her forehead as she flew up into the air and, unthinkingly, I reached out my hand, and she grabbed it.

"_Prince Zuko, help me_!" She cried, her voice full of terror. Her face was sheet white, save for the strange pink symbol glowing on there. She swayed dangerously.

I didn't reply. I just yanked her out of the pit in one swift movement. As soon as we hit the floor we both began running, my hand still holding her wrist, and the building shaking and caving in around us.

Luckily theFireTemplewas collapsing onto a side of the island with a large rocky hill that was close enough to the falling tower for us to jump out onto. Not daring to look back, we ran from the doomed tower, towards our boat which, by some miracle, was still there.

Only after we'd set sail and were far enough away, did I dare to look back at the tower, which was now on fire.

Then, I glanced at Emma, who was sitting on the deck, sobbing silently.

"I thought you said you _liked_ fire." I said witheringly, my annoyance at not having captured the Avatar starting to get to me now that we were out of danger.

"N-not when I'm s-so close to it!" She told me. "Now when it's about to _burn_ me to d-death…" There was a faint pinkish glow to her tears, mirroring the mark on her forehead.

I walked over to her, not because I wanted to console her, but because I wanted to get a good look at the symbol on her forehead. I knelt down in front of her to examine the symbol closely. But, before I could, she suddenly leapt forward and threw her arms around me, taking me completely by surprise and knocking us _both_ over.

We fell to the deck, her lying on top of me.

We both stared at each other, and the pink symbol disappeared from her forehead to be replaced by a pink blush all over her once pale face.

Her hazel eyes stared into mine, and I could hear her heart hammering in her chest, pounding against mine. I was surprised by how warm her body was (though, I suppose, having nearly just fallen into a volcano, it _would_ be), and even _more_ surprised by the faint scent of honey and jasmine on her. She didn't get _that_ from the volcano.

Her eyes were very wide, and I felt a tear from her fall onto my face, on the side where my scar is. It tingled.

I gulped. "Get. Off. Me."

"O-oh! Of-of course!" She stammered, hurriedly getting off me and scurrying back to the furthest corner of the boat.

I watched as she turned away from me as I got up, and I followed suit – I needed to get us back to the ship.

Suddenly, I heard her shriek, and I turned around fast.

"What's the matter? !" I cried.

Her eyes were wide, staring in wonder at something she half cradled to her chest. "Th-the egg! The egg has already hatched!"

"What? !"

O~O~O~O

"What," I asked flatly, staring at the tiny creature in front of me. "Is that thing?"

Both Emma and my Uncle looked at me like I was crazy, before turning their attention back to the hatchling.

"I haven't seen one of these in many years, Emma, as they are quite rare these days," Uncle Iroh said, almost in wonder. "You are very, very lucky."

"I know," She sounded just as awed as he did, and her eyes were shining. "He's so cute and scrawny!" She reached out a hand, and the bird rubbed up against it.

"You got the scrawny part right." I told her, because 'cute' wasn't quite the right word to describe the bird that had hatched from the golden egg. In pale comparison to its former protective shell, the bird itself was small and red, with a few pale pink feathers here and there. It was, in a word, ugly. Which was why I couldn't understand why my Uncle and Emma were gazing at it in adoration…no, in _reverence_, almost.

Emma looked up at me, still smiling, seemingly having forgotten her near-death experience. "You're just jealous." She said cheerfully.

I gaped, before regaining some of my composure. "Why should I be jealous of that…that _thing_?"

"Because it's a Firebender." She said simply.

I stared at her for a few more seconds, before realizing that she was dead serious. I turned to my Uncle. "Uncle, I think there's something wrong with Emma – Zhao pushed her into the lava and now she thinks that ugly little bird is a Firebender."

"Zhao didn't _push_ me into the lava, Zuko, I _fell_, there's a big difference," Emma was now cradling the bird in her hands, and it squawked a little, whether in a happy way or an unhappy way I knew not.

"Lava, did you say?" My Uncle looked thoughtful. "Yes, that makes sense. The last time one hatched, it was because its egg was accidentally dropped into a cup of boiling hot tea."

_Why am I not surprised?_ I thought.

My Uncle was now staring curiously at Emma. "Uh, Emma…if you fell into the lava, how did…?"

She glanced up, the warm look in her eyes gone, to be replaced by…uncertainty? "I…I don't…know…the only thing I _really_ figured out is that I don't know much about myself at all…what was that light?" She gave me a swift glance, and I knew instantly that there was something she wasn't telling me.

"Light?" Uncle Iroh repeated, somewhat sharply.

I nodded, and told my Uncle what had happened.

He gave me such a meaningful glance at the end of my story that I was startled. No, no way! It _couldn't_ be…Emma _couldn't_ be…_could_ she?

"And…Zhao is aware of this?" My Uncle asked me softly, so that Emma wouldn't hear.

My blood ran cold, and I clenched my fist. "Yes, Uncle." I whispered tightly, not allowing any more emotion to escape my voice.

We both glanced back at Emma then, who looked back up at us. "Uh…guys? I think he's hungry…_what do phoenixes eat_? !"

O~O~O~O

**Iroh's P.O.V:**

"That's just weird." Prince Zuko said bluntly.

"That's life," Emma replied, glancing over her shoulder at him calmly. "Either like it or lump it, Princy." She turned back around.

I saw my nephew's eyebrow twitch at having been called 'Princy', but Emma was far too concerned with other matters. I watched as she picked up a hot coal the size of a fingernail with a pair of chopsticks. She used her left hand to maneuver a _second_ pair of chopsticks, this time made of metal, and gently pried open the mouth of the baby phoenix. With expert skill, she fed the glowing coal into the phoenix's mouth, and he swallowed it, before making a sound that was a cross between a chirp and a squawk, clearly demanding more.

Emma laughed lightly, a melodic sound. "Okay sweetie, hold your horses."

_What's a horse?_ I wondered.

I watched as Zuko looked at the baby phoenix, and I knew that hew as trying to envision it with golden plumage and beautiful fire.

Prince Zuko sighed in frustration, before turning to Lieutenant Jee. "You!" He said, sharply, pointing at the man. "Spar with me! Now!" He demanded.

I could tell that Jee was none too pleased at having been spoken to in such a manner, but he complied, and soon the deck was full of shouting, fire and the occasional thud. I paid little attention to this (after all, I was used to it by now), and just continued sorting through my Pai Sho tiles, and drinking white tea. Emma was too focused on feeding the baby phoenix – and singing to it, too, from the sounds of some song called I Want You To Burn. I recognized the warm, maternal way she was acting, and I smiled. This was exactly how it had been like with that _other_ person, too.

The rest of the crew also seemed drawn in by it (or her singing) and most of them were lounging around on the deck, not to far from where Emma was sitting.

"_Or an angel…under grace…I'll lay down on your bed of coals, offer up my heart and soul, but in return…I want you to burn…burn for me baby…_"

I glanced back down at my Pai Sho tiles then, and that was when I realized something terrible. For that reason, I jumped up and took off running across the deck.

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"_Laugh for me, cry for me, pray for me, lie for me, live for me, die for me-_"

I was cut off when the ship suddenly lurched sharply starboard and, caught off balance, I was thrown onto the deck.

"What's going on?" I heard Zuko demand to know, as Lieutenant Jee helped me to my feet and the rest of the crew milled around in slight confusion. "Why have we changed course?"

Uncle Iroh appeared, wearing a slightly panicked expression, and I suddenly remembered what was going on. "Oh," I groaned, rolling my eyes. "This episode…"

The crew looked even _more_ confused.

"Are you sure you looked _everywhere_ for it?" I called to Iroh, as I stood by Jee and the other crew members.

"Yes! I need to find a new one!" He replied.

"Of course you do." I replied soothingly.

"Find _what_? !" Zuko demanded to know.

"I lost a vital piece to my Pai Sho game," Iroh replied. "There should be one in the markets nearby."

"_What_? !" Zuko yelled, in his anger exhibiting an impressive display of firebending techniques.

"There he goes again." Daniu muttered.

"It's nice to have such an understanding nephew." Uncle Iroh commented, as the smoke enveloped us all.

"Prince Zuko!" I called through it. "Calm down, okay? Who knows – Aang might've deviated from _his_ course as well!" This I knew to be true.

"Do you really think so?" Zuko's disembodied voice sounded slightly hopeful, though still annoyed. "Do you _know_ if he has or not?"

"Umm…possibly." I replied. "I know they're at a market today…maybe it's this one?"

"Fine, let's go then." Zuko sounded slightly calmer now.

"That's the spirit, Princy." I chirped.

"_Don't_ call me Princy."

"Okay then, Zuzu."

"Princy's fine."

"That's right."

"And there _she_ goes again," Jin-Po said serenely.

"She's got him wrapped around her little finger." Jee agreed.

I was glad I couldn't see Zuko's face after _that_ comment.

O~O~O~O

"_Stay on the ship, Emma,_" I mimicked Zuko's voice, adding a few exaggerations. "_You'll be safer here_!" I rolled my eyes. "Aurgh! This isn't doing me any good! I should be _doing_ something, like practicing my Waterbending or something! That's what _Katara's_ doing!" A sudden thought struck me, and a grin lit up my face. If I could just find out where Katara and the Water Scroll were, then maybe I could practice with them today! They might not trust me at first, but since I could Waterbend…they wouldn't think I was a Fire Nation spy, would they?

I hoped not.

I picked up the sleeping baby phoenix, whom I _still_ hadn't named, and tucked him into the front of my short white robes. Then, I left the ship, running off towards the forest and the river.

O~O~O~O

**Katara's P.O.V:**

I was getting more frustrated by the minute, feeling like I was _never_ going to get the hang of this Waterbending. Having Aang – the _genius_ of Waterbending – also watching me, was starting to get on my nerves, even more so than Sokka's quips.

"Just let me try one more time," I begged Aang, whom nodded, and I prepared to try the technique called Water Whips again. I began moving my body with the water, picking it up with my chi as I did so. I angled my body, and then aimed the water whip, but it didn't go where I wanted it to go.

It headed towards a figure who had just appeared seemingly out of nowhere, and she shrieked, holding up her hands – and the water froze to solid ice!

"Whoa…" Aang, Sokka and I breathed, as the girl looked stunned for a second, before moving gingerly away from the ice.

"How did you _do_ that?" I asked her, my eyes wide.

She was a couple of years older than me, although she looked fairly young. She had short dark brown hair and hazel eyes, and wore a short white robe and no shoes. She smiled shyly. "I'm…I'm not really sure…I've only just found out I'm a Waterbender…"

_Oh, great,_ I thought. _ANOTHER Waterbending genius…_

The girl saw the expression on my face, and gulped. "Umm…anyway…I just saw you Waterbending, and reading from that scroll there," She pointed to the scroll, which lay open on the rocks. "I've wanted to learn more about Waterbending, but scrolls like these are hard to come by…" There was something familiar about her voice.

"Do you want to practice with us?" Aang asked her cheerfully, probably in an attempt to quell some of my annoyance at him.

The girl looked hopeful. "_Could_ I? M-my name's Emma…"

"I'm Aang," He replied cheerfully. "This is Katara," He nodded to me, smiling. "And her brother Sokka."

"Hey." My brother said, by way of greeting, before going back to polishing his boomerang.

"Sokka? Katara…Aang…" Emma repeated, looking thoughtful. "Oh, hey, you must be the people I heard about!"

We all exchanged a quick glance.

"You've heard of us?" Aang asked carefully.

Emma nodded, biting her lip, and then a light seemed to go on in her golden eyes. "Yeah! Suki was telling me about you!"

Sokka's head shot up, and he looked at Emma for the first time. "You know Suki? !"

Emma nodded, and pulled a gold fan out of the pocket of her robes. "Y-yes…I trained with her for a little while…it's a _long_ story…" She set the fan on another rock, before reaching into the front of her robes and pulling out a small, sleeping, baby bird. It was red and kinda scrawny looking.

"What's that?" Aang wanted to know, his curiosity overcoming his fear that Emma might have been sent out to capture him. He watched as Emma placed the baby bird on the rocks, in the sunshine.

"A baby phoenix," She said simply, turning to face us. "It's really alright if I train with you guys?"

"Yeah, it would be nice to have another person to practice with." Aang said enthusiastically.

I agreed. "Yeah, why not?"

Emma smiled. "Th-thank you…"

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I stood on the deck of Zuko's ship the following day, practicing the moves I had learned with Katara and Aang. I'd left them, saying I needed to get back to my people, but _really_ I was trying to stay out of the way of the upcoming story-line. Besides, I was pretty sure Katara didn't like me, since I'd picked up the Waterbending techniques fairly quickly. To be fair, she and Aang were _both_ a lot better than I was, but apparently I'd picked up the basics _too_ quickly, in Katara's eyes, although she'd yelled at Aang (not me) when he'd offered her advice.

I'd left one of my red ribbons behind, though, a promise that we'd meet each other again. I knew it seemed a little tacky, but I was _determined_ to see them again.

I now practiced my moves, bending in and out and feeling like I was doing Tai Chi or something.

I didn't realize I had an audience until I turned around and saw Lieutenant Jee watching me.

I dropped my hands instantly, blushing. "O-oh! I wasn't aware anyone was watching me!" I was embarrassed.

"I'm sorry," Jee replied, smiling. "But those moves…they were very graceful, almost like Waterbending…"

I gulped. "W-well, I just think it's good to get ideas from other Benders…I watch you and Zuko spar and get ideas from that, too…Zuko's very hot-headed, though…" I added, as an afterthought.

"Yes," Jee agreed, not sounding too impressed with the Prince. "I feel that one day his reckless temper might endanger us all…"

"That's why Iroh is here to guide him," I said soothingly. "Zuko's life isn't as grand as everyone thinks – he _needs_ his Uncle's support…"

Jee glanced at me, questions in his eyes. At last, he asked: "How do you know so much about the Prince?"

I clasped my hands in front of me, as the baby phoenix perched unsteadily on my shoulder. "I know…_everything_ about him…more than he is aware of…I just want what's best for him." I admitted quietly. "That's all…I want to protect them."

Jee seemed about to answer but, just then, Iroh and Zuko returned.

"What happened to you?" I wanted to know, since they both looked bedraggled.

"We found the Avatar, but because of a bunch of pirates we were unable to capture him!" Zuko said angrily, storming off towards his cabin.

I looked over at Uncle Iroh. "And you?"

"My White Lotus tile was up my sleeve the entire time, but then Prince Zuko threw it into the river!" Iroh seemed upset, and also retired to his cabin quickly.

I glanced at Jee. "Protecting them…may prove to be more difficult than I'd originally thought…"

"You're doing a good job of it."

"Thanks."

"So, what did you do yesterday?" Jee wanted to know.

"Oh…that and this, and this and that…" I said evasively, smiling out at the ocean…


	11. The Storm

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The Storm

O~O~O~O

_"Umm…anyway…I just saw you Waterbending, and reading from that scroll there," She pointed to the scroll, which lay open on the rocks. "I've wanted to learn more about Waterbending, but scrolls like these are hard to come by…" There was something familiar about her voice._

_"Do you want to practice with us?" _

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

It was our third day out at sea, and I was starting to think that maybe I had found my sea-legs after all. I wasn't exactly an old sea dog, but I'd gotten used to the rocking motion of the ship. It was kinda like being in a giant cradle at times.

On that third day, I was standing at the bow of the ship, with my arms spread out on either side of me.

"_Ne-ar, fa-ar,_" I sang. "_Wherever you aaare…_" I was acting out the scene from _Titanic_, and now all I needed was Jack to rock up, and…

"_Emma_!" I heard my name being snapped, and turned around to see one very annoyed-looking Prince standing on the deck about six feet away from me.

"_What_? !" I snapped back, defensively. Why did Zuko sound so annoyed at me? Then I remembered. "Oh, right, the fire in the kitchen…it wasn't me, I can't bend fire…it… it was Daniu!"

"It was not!"

Zuko gave me a Look. "I wasn't talking about that." He came up to me and, like always, my heart hammered slightly at his close proximity to me. "I want you to come and talk some sense into my Uncle."

"About what?" I asked him, as my little phoenix scurried across the deck, and I picked him up. He seemed…uneasy. I could tell.

"Uncle seems to think there's a storm coming," Zuko rolled his hazel eyes, completely missing the look of horror that crossed my face. "As you can see, he's completely wrong," He motioned to the clear blue sky. "So, go and tell him to calm down…he listens to you…"

Without another word, I charged across the deck, but not to tell Uncle Iroh he was wrong.

I was remembering this episode…

O~O~O~O

"Prince Zuko," I said, as calmly as I possibly could. "_Please_ listen to your Uncle…" _For once in your life…_

"Yes, please Prince Zuko," Iroh added. "Think about to safety of your crew…"

"Capturing the Avatar is more important than the crew's safety!" Zuko said angrily.

I gasped. I couldn't believe he'd just said that.

And, wouldn't you knew it, Lieutenant Jee happened to walk by at that moment, and heard what Zuko said.

I tried to tune the next part of the conversation out, because I didn't want to get involved.

However, it surprised me when Jee turned to me and said: "Emma? What are your thoughts on this?"

I cringed as the three men turned to me – Jee looked annoyed, Zuko looked _beyond_ annoyed, and Iroh looked worried.

I gulped, and clutched my phoenix – still not named – to my chest. I cleared my throat, and said: "I think…I think we need to prepare for the storm, and do our best." _To not die._ I added silently, walking quickly out of the galley. _Sometimes Zuko is just way too much…_

O~O~O~O

"Oh, phoenix-y," I muttered, walking out onto the deck a short while later. "Sometimes I really don't know what to do with him…he's so _stubborn_…" _I know why he's acting like this, though…Zuko's been through hell…I'm sure Iroh will tell the crew Zuko's story tonight…_

I didn't want to hear it, though. I already knew it, and I felt terrible for the banished prince…

I walked up onto the deck just in time to see the argument between Zuko and Jee escalate, and I knew without a doubt that it was about to turn ugly, so of course I hurried to get between them, as did Uncle Iroh.

I stood with my back to Jee, staring at Zuko over Iroh's shoulder with pleading eyes, silently asking him to calm down.

Zuko told his Uncle that he didn't need anyone's help in maintaining discipline on his ship, before glaring at Jee one last time. Then, to my surprise, he grabbed my wrist, and dragged me across the deck.

"Emma," He said angrily, once we were out of earshot of the rest of the crew. I could sense them watching us, though. "Don't _ever_ get in my way like that again, understand? You know _nothing_ about these sorts of things!"

"Don't ever assume that I don't know, _or_ that I don't care, Prince Zuko." I whispered angrily, as the phoenix made a small peeping sound.

Zuko glanced down at it. "And shut that bird up – it's nothing but an eye-sore!"

SLAP!

One second Zuko and I were standing still, and the next I was gasping, and he was gasping, and the right side of his face was turning bright red where I'd hit him.

"You can insult me," I said venomously. "You can insult the things I do, and what I like – but you must _never_, EVER insult those I care about! I don't care _who_ you think you are!" Then I turned, and stormed below deck, hardly able to believe what I'd just done.

O~O~O~O

I stood in front of Zuko's door, my hand poised to open it. I'd been standing there for the last ten minutes, debating with myself whether or not to go in and apologize. My phoenix remained silently, staring up at me with woeful amber eyes.

"I know I shouldn't have hit him," I said softly, finally giving up and instead sitting with my back leaning against the heavy metal door. "He doesn't deserve that from anyone. _Not_ because he's a Prince. In my opinion, that doesn't matter. I mean, look at Sokka and Katara. They're not _exactly_ royalty, but their Dad is the chief of the South Pole Water Tribe. Sokka and Katara are really nice people – you saw how kind they were when they let me train with them that day. But, then look at Zuko and Azula. They may be royalty, but they're…well, Zuko's kinda selfish, and Azula's scary…_very_ scary…I guess their upbringings _were_ kinda different, but the point is…you are who you are not how you're born, but how you live your life, and how you treat others. Kindness is the key…and the changing of hearts is how _all_ wars are won…that's what Katara's Grandma said…"

The phoenix stared at me with wide eyes.

"Oh, I know, why am I telling _you_ this?" I sighed. "I should be in there, apologizing to Prince Zuko…he may be a selfish, stubborn, hot-tempered…_guy_…but…he's also really determined, and dedicated…he could still be kind, like his Mother was…I think he _is_…he just doesn't know how to show it. He's also strong and…" I blushed. "_Really_, REALLY handsome…I know lots of Fire Nation guys are (and lots aren't) but…Zuko takes the cake, hands down. He's _hot_."

The phoenix seemed to snicker.

Just then, the door opened behind me and, caught unawares, I fell backwards onto the metal floor.

Lying on my back, I looked up at an upside-down Zuko.

Oh. My. God. Had he heard everything?

"You can kill me now." I whispered.

Zuko looked at me, no expression on his face, but his hazel eyes were glittering slightly. At last, he said: "I accept your apology. I probably _did_ deserve the slap, though." He added, as an afterthought.

"Probably." I agreed, as he walked around to the other side of me and helped me up.

He kept my hand in his though, and looked at me intently. I gulped. "Emma," Zuko said quietly. "Do you _really_ believe that changing hearts can win a war?"

I shrugged. "It can't hurt. I think…if people change, and learn to trust their hearts, as strange as it may sound, things can change. No matter how much that happens, you must always trust your heart." I dared to place my other hand over his hand holding mine. "No matter what anyone else tells you, if you listen to your _own_ heart…then you're truly in charge of your own destiny." I smiled, embarrassed all of a sudden. "_That_ is what I really believe in." I let go of his hands, and walked quickly down the hall, leaving him to stand there and ponder what I'd just told him.

I walked out onto the deck.

O~O~O~O

**Iroh's P.O.V:**

The crew was silent after I'd told them Zuko's story, each of the men thinking about the past, and seeing my nephew in a new light.

And, it was in this silence, that we all heard the lightning when it struck the ship outside. This was immediately followed by Emma's scream.

"**ZUKO**! !"

The crew and I exchanged a started glance for one second, before we jumped up and ran out of the room and down the hall, Jee and I in the lead.

The scene on deck was as chaotic as I'd imagined it would be, complete with lightning. Zuko was already on deck, and the rest of the crew jumped into action. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Zuko and Jee work together to save the helmsman.

Then, I focused on the task at hand.

The lightning zig-zagged towards me, and I focused my chi, so that I was able to redirect it. I felt the power coursing through me, and maintained my direct focus on it, to ensure I didn't lose my grip.

I was surprised – but pleased – that it had worked.

Just then, I noticed that a wave was headed towards me, and I didn't have any time to react. Would I be washed overboard?

"Uncle!" I heard Emma yell, and suddenly she was in front of me, her hands held up…and the wave arced over backwards, as if pushed by some invisible force…could it have been…?

Just then, the ship lurched, and Emma, caught of balance, was thrown over the side of the ship. She had only enough time to throw her phoenix to me (no, _at_ me) and scream out my nephew's name again, before she disappeared into the black waters.

"_Man overboard_!" Someone yelled.

"EMMA! !" Half of the crew shouted.

Zuko suddenly ran past me, a rope tied around his waist that had the other end attached to the ship's railing. He flung himself over the side of the ship.

O~O~O~O

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

When I was younger, my parents used to take my sister and me to our beach house onEmberIsland. We would go swimming nearly every day, and both Azula and I are really strong swimmers. I'd never swam in a stormy sea before, but I had to now.

I focused on that one thing I could see in the water, Emma's pale skin shining ghost-like in the blackness. I pushed myself down through the water, my lungs feeling like they were about to burst.

I couldn't reach her – she was being pulled further away from me!

No…I _couldn't_ let that happen…I _would_ do it…my heart was telling me that much…

I forced myself to swim further, faster, and I could feel the rope straining…and then I ran out of rope. My eyes opened wide, and I had no idea what to do. Then, I made my decision. I worked quickly, my hands shaking under the water, to untie the rope. Then, I let it go, and kept on swimming.

I was finally able to reach her, I reached out a hand and grabbed her wrist, somehow managing to pull her towards me. Her body was icy cold, she wasn't able to warm herself using her inner chi, because she wasn't a Firebender.

The trouble was, I'd used up all my energy _getting_ there, and now I couldn't get back up.

Was this it? Were we both going to die like this? I couldn't! I _had_ to capture the Avatar! I _couldn't_ die without honor!

Suddenly, as if on cue, I felt her hand tighten around mine and, in the dim light, her eyes opened and stared into mine. Then, they shone pink, and the symbol I had seen on her forehead the time she nearly fell into the lava reappeared.

This time, since I was so close to her, I could read it perfectly.

It read: _Kun De_.

Shining Virtue.

That was when I blacked out.

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I could see nothing more than a whole lot of pink, but I could see Zuko's features clearly outlined in dark blue, hear his heart beating. I also knew when he fainted.

We were suddenly wrapped up in pink light and blue swirls of water, and pushed up through the cold sea, up towards the surface.

We broke through the surface and flew through the air, landing back on the deck of the ship. I gasped for breath, and that was when I realized that Zuko _wasn't_ breathing!

"Zuko!" I gasped, as Iroh, Jee and everyone else ran up to us. I was only vaguely aware of it. I was soaking wet and shivering, and tears were in my eyes. "Zuko, oh no!" I was terrified suddenly. He _couldn't_ die, this wasn't meant to happen!

"Prince Zuko…" Iroh knelt beside us, his face pale. There was a pink glow reflected in his hazel eyes.

I glanced at him, tears in _my_ hazel eyes…my phoenix looked at me from where he was perched on Iroh's shoulder. I recalled how his egg had been embossed with the symbol that meant Burning Honor…_Yang Chong_…how Zuko had told me what the symbol had meant…

I suddenly gasped, not in shock, but with sudden determination. "Uncle!" I said, sharply. "Help me with this!" I was _not_ going to let Zuko die. I could do this by myself, but it would be a lot easier if I had some help. "Do exactly as I say," I was going into medical mode, and I knew I sounded different. Iroh and I quickly got Zuko's shirt off. I was startled by how cold his skin suddenly was.

I grabbed Zuko's wrist, and felt for a pulse. My chest felt cold when I couldn't find one. This meant that he hadn't started breathing again…I put an ear to his chest…

No heart-beat.

I closed my eyes for a second, and then looked sharply at Uncle Iroh. "Push down in the centre of his chest, two inches, thirty times! Hard and fast, at the rate of at least one hundred per minute, faster than once per second!" There was no time for mistakes now, and I just hoped that Uncle Iroh would do this correctly. Zuko's life was at stake.

To my relief, Iroh not only obeyed me without question, but he completed the procedure perfectly, without fault. I was only dimly aware of the rest of the crew milling around us, as Iroh finished the heart pumps, and I prepared for the second stage of CPR.

I tilted Zuko's head back and lifted his chin. I pinched his nose and then, leaning down, I covered his mouth with mine. I blew once into his mouth and saw his chest rise, for one second. Then I gave another breath.

Suddenly, I could taste a whole lot of salty water in my mouth, and I instinctively drew my head back sharply, just as a stream of water came up from Zuko's mouth, following the movement of my head. It disconnected with his body and disappeared and, as soon as it did, Zuko's hazel eyes snapped open, and he began gasping in breaths of air.

It was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard.

_He was alive._

I sat back on the deck, and pressed a hand to my mouth as Zuko stared around at us all in shock. I pressed a hand to my mouth, and let the tears flow freely. Zuko sat up slowly and looked at me, and then, still shaking from the cold and from shock, I flung my arms around his neck and broke down completely. I'd been terrified he was going to die on me, and then I'd be all alone.

Zuko's own shaking arms wrapped around my waist, and we held onto each other, unable to do anything else, as the eye of the storm was calm and peaceful around us.

My phoenix suddenly hopped onto my head, chirping slightly, and I smiled into Zuko's neck. "_Yang Chong_…" I whispered, tears still in my eyes, making the stars in the sky seem blurry.

"_Yang Chong_…" Zuko repeated softly. I could actually _hear_ a smile in his voice…


	12. Red Bear

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

CHAPTER TWELVE

Red Bear

O~O~O~O

_Suddenly, I could taste a whole lot of salty water in my mouth, and I instinctively drew my head back sharply, just as a stream of water came up from Zuko's mouth, following the movement of my head. It disconnected with his body and disappeared and, as soon as it did, Zuko's hazel eyes snapped open, and he began gasping in breaths of air._

_It was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard._

_He was alive._

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I was lounging on the deck of the ship, enjoying the sunshine after the storm and watching Yang Chong hop around on the deck and try to fly.

"Think sky!" I called to him. He turned to look at me. "Picture yourself _soaring_ above the clouds, think _air_!"

He cocked his head to one side, and then coughed.

He spat out about ten very small fireballs.

I was impressed. "Or…think fire!"

He ruffled up his slowly developing feathers, and looked proud.

I fanned myself with my golden fan, and thought: _He'll be a Firebender, maybe even more powerful than a human one! Go Phoenix-y_!

Just then, a large shadow fell over us, and we both looked up to see a much larger Fire Nation Naval ship. Yang Chong scurried up to me as I got quickly to my feat, and he disappeared into the safety of the front of my robes. "_Prince Zuko_!" I called loudly, my feet seemingly glued to the deck.

Zuko and Jee came quickly up onto the deck, as they'd been going over the map together. They were followed by Iroh.

The four of us watched as a group of unfamiliar soldiers boarded our ship.

I glanced nervously at Zuko. Though he'd been reasonably nicer to everyone since the storm (though I'd warned everyone _not_ to tell him how I'd saved him) he was still going to be angry at this next scenario.

I watched Zuko's face carefully throughout the confrontation and, sure enough, his hazel eyes were furious. Zhao was now an Admiral? All information regarding the Avatar was to be passed onto him?

Zuko had to tell the men twice to get off his ship, and seemed to be more angry than anything, but later on I heard him telling his Uncle his doubts, that he may end up losing everything after all.

My heart went out for him. I _hated_ seeing him so upset. I wanted to say something to put his mind at ease, but _what_?

Sorry you're so upset? Sorry Zhao got promoted, and you didn't? Sorry your Father's such a jerk and probably hates you?

I didn't want to _say_ something…I wanted to _do_ something…

Wait…maybe there _was_ something I could do…

During the storm, I'd had more control over my Waterbending. It wasn't perfect, but it was getting better, and my fighting skills were improving as well. The other day, I'd actually managed to defeat five crew members at once.

What if…what if I helped Zuko free Aang when Zhao captured him?

What if I just got in the way?

There was only one way for me to find out…and I was going to go anyway!

O~O~O~O

_I moved through the forest, unsure of where I was or even _who_ I was. I could hear so many things, but I couldn't really _see_ anything…_

_I could hear a voice, though, as soft and almost as melodic as my own. It was calling to me and, as I ran forward, I saw a huge dark shape waiting for me. I stopped quickly. It was a bear._

_It didn't seem dangerous, though and, as I watched, it seemed to take the shape of a woman. I wasn't sure if I knew who she was, but I _did_ know that she wanted me to help Zuko…_

_"Please…help him…"_

_"I will." I promised her._

_Water seemed to cascade all around me, and was dyed scarlet…_

O~O~O~O

My eyes snapped open, and I found myself _really_ standing in a forest, by a small stream.

"Oh no! How did I get here? !" I cried softly. "Did I…did I _sleep walk_?" I'd heard of such a thing before, but this was ridiculous…

One minute I'd been resting in my room on Zuko's ship, and then I'd had that strange dream, and now…

I looked down at myself, and realized that I was wearing a white robe top and white pants. White bandages were wrapped around my arms and legs, and I wore a pair of white shoes that strapped up around my ankle. I could feel more bandages on my chest, and realized that I probably resembled a boy at the moment, which may or may not have been a good thing.

I realized that I was wearing a mask, and I quickly took it off and looked at it. It was red, and seemed to be a bear's face.

"_Ursa_…" I whispered.

I replaced my mask, and checked in my robes for my fan. It was there. I also had a water-skin filled with some sort of liquid at my hip. I would need that.

Whatever had happened, whoever had helped me, if it really _had_ been _her_…then I was outfitted _perfectly_ to help Prince Zuko carry out his plan…

O~O~O~O

**Aang's P.O.V:**

The frogs I had gathered to help Katara and Sokka were getting away, but the stranger dressed all in black and wearing a blue mask would _not_ let me get them!

"You don't understand!" I protested, but he just dragged me out of the room, without saying a word. He had dual Dao swords, and I could tell straight away that he was a seasoned warrior. Why was he helping me, though, whoever he was…?

As we were running down the hallway, past the unconscious guards, I thought I caught a glimpse of white to my left, but couldn't be sure…

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I watched as the arrow headed towards Zuko. I had been fairly good, mostly staying out of the way, and only knocking out a few guards by sneaking up behind them, so that they wouldn't attack Zuko and Aang. But, now, I leapt out of my hiding place and got between Aang and Zuko, using my fan to block the arrow.

A dozen or so more arrows came flying towards us, and I couldn't block all of them with my fan, so I went to plan B. I focused my chi on the liquid in the water-skin, and it came flying out, not blue but _red_. It looked like blood mixed with water, which may have been why it was glowing.

Or, maybe that was the illumination from the blue fire Zuko was now bending, and the two elements arced around each other, and rendered the Fire Nation soldiers helpless.

Just then, Zuko went rigid – an arrow had hit him, in the shoulder. He went down, and Aang grabbed him instinctively. A little bit of Zuko's mask slipped down, revealing his scar to Aang, who gasped. The Avatar looked at me, just as I swung back around to face Zhao and, with deadly accuracy, threw my fan at him just as he was about to give the signal to fire another round of arrows.

It flew through the air with remarkable speed and power, and hit the Admiral directly in the forehead.

At this time, Aang grabbed Zuko and made a dust cloud using his Airbending.

O~O~O~O

**Aang's P.O.V:**

I didn't know what to make of the situation. For weeks now, Prince Zuko had been chasing after me, attempting to capture me and stop me from saving the world. He was the Fire Lord's son, and a powerful Firebender too. He was my enemy, like everyone in the Fire Nation…apparently. I was confused. So much had _changed_ in the last one hundred years…I couldn't _believe_ that the Fire Nation was the enemy! I mean, of course I could _believe_ it, I'd _seen_ what they'd been doing with my own eyes…but still…

"Do you think _we_ could've been friends, if we'd known each other before this war started?" I asked Zuko quietly, shocked even by my own words. But…he'd just saved my life, hadn't he?

Speaking of which…

The second masked stranger suddenly jumped down from a tree nearby, landing between me and Zuko. He'd finally found us, since we'd become separated after I'd used the dust cloud as cover to escape.

The way he was standing between Zuko and me, it was very protective. I understood that this person must care for Zuko a lot, even though that idea seemed quite strange to me at this time.

Still, they'd worked together to free me. Who was I to question their relationship?

I just nodded, before hopping away through the trees. I had to find more frogs to cure Katara and Sokka's illness…

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"Emma, _stop_." Zuko said sharply, when we were almost back to the ship.

I stopped walking and turned around, looking at him. "What is it? Is your shoulder hurting?"

"Why didn't you tell me you were a Waterbender?"

"Because I didn't _know_, okay? ! I didn't know I was one until just recently, and I didn't know how to tell you! And, some thanks for saving your _life_ – _again_!"

Zuko stepped up to me. "Don't _ever_ do that again! _You_ could have been _killed_!" He told me.

I realized that his eyes were slightly bright…was he _really_ that upset?

He looked at me for a moment, before kissing me.

I was startled, unable to quite believe what was happening. There had been a strange electric shock that jolted through me as soon as the Prince's lips had touched mine, similar to the shock from the night of the storm, when I'd done CPR on him. I had _never_ kissed _anyone_ before, so I had no idea what to do.

Zuko stopped kissing me after five seconds exactly, and stepped back, seemingly shocked himself by what he'd just done.

_Oh my God, I CAN'T BELIEVE he just DID that to me!_ I was startled, my fingers touching my lips in wonder. I couldn't look at him, I was just too embarrassed.

"Back to the ship?" Zuko said faintly.

I nodded. "Lead the way, Prince Zuko."

We walked the rest of the way in a confused silence…

O~O~O~O

When we got back to the ship, it was the evening of that day. I'd had no idea I'd walked so far in my sleep.

Uncle Iroh greeted us with some not-so-great-news. "Admiral Zhao visited us this morning," He told us, whilst sipping on some tea. "He wanted to know where you two were last night."

Zuko and I exchanged a glance.

"I told him that you two went on a romantic vacation." Uncle Iroh continued, and Zuko groaned. I blushed.

"I'm going to bed." Zuko said tiredly, walking towards the door leading down below deck, as Yang Chong half hopped, half fluttered across the deck towards me, and I wordlessly picked him up.

"So…where _did_ you two go, last night?" Uncle Iroh wanted to know.

I gulped. "Umm…nowhere much…" I thought I should tell him a little bit, though. "We just had to go somewhere, in order to…do something important…"

"And, did you get it done?" Iroh wanted to know.

I nodded. "Yes, but…but…we were on our way back here and…" I knew that I was blushing. I touched my fingers to my lips again, remembering the kiss. "S-something…_happened_…"

Uncle Iroh's eyes widened. "Did…did you two _kiss_?"

I gasped. He actually _said_ it out loud! "Aww, now come _on_, Uncle Iroh, you didn't have to _say_ it out…a girl can get embarrassed, you know!" I laughed self-consciously, and pretended to punch his shoulder. "But, um, yeah…we…did…"

Uncle Iroh chuckled. He looked thrilled…

O~O~O~O

**Zhao's P.O.V:**

I looked at the golden fan in my hand, thinking about the events of last night. Finally, I was only able to draw one conclusion.

Emma had been there. And…Zuko had been with her. My eyes glittered in the fire-light. The Fire Lord's own son was a traitor…and Emma…it was as the legends had said…


	13. Trust You Forever – Part One

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Trust You Forever – Part One

O~O~O~O

_He looked at me for a moment, before kissing me._

_I was startled, unable to quite believe what was happening. There had been a strange electric shock that jolted through me as soon as the Prince's lips had touched mine, similar to the shock from the night of the storm, when I'd done CPR on him. _

O~O~O~O

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I was confused now. The memory of last night was still deep in my mind. Why had I saved the Avatar? So that I could capture him myself and restore my honor, surely. I'd been so sure that was it, but then…Emma's arrival had complicated things in my mind. I'd recognized her instantly, even though she was in disguise, from her movements and the familiar jolt that seemed to accompany my heart beats every time she showed up. Where had she _gotten_ that mask from, anyway? It was a mask I had not seen since my childhood, since my days spent during the summer on Ember Island. Hadn't I just been thinking about that the other night, and now Emma shows up in a mask _identical_ to the one my Mother used to wear?

It was an omen…

It still didn't explain why I'd kissed her, though.

I recalled the startled look in her eyes, the way she'd frozen as soon as my lips touched hers. In all honesty, I wasn't sure why, I mean, come _on_, it hadn't been _that_ bad, had it? Well, for _me_ it hadn't. _Her_ lips tasted like jasmine tea and honey. I wasn't sure what mine were like…I wasn't about to ask her…

I thought that she must be just as confused as I was, though, which may have explained why she was avoiding me.

I was lying on my bed, thinking all this through, and somehow, I must've fallen asleep, because the next thing I saw was my Mother.

O~O~O~O

_"Mother, why do all of the girls look at me like that?" I wanted to know, holding her hand as we walked together._

_She smiled down at me, the same comforting smile I had always known. "Because you're a Prince, my dear. They recognize your status in our society."_

_"Oh…" I thought about this for a moment, and then asked: "But…they don't know the real _me_. They just know me because I'm royalty."_

_My Mother stopped walking, and stooped down to eye level with me. She was still smiling. "Don't worry, Zuko. One day, you will meet a girl who sees _past_ your royal status. To her, it won't matter who you are or what you've done." She put a hand on the left side of my chest. "One day, you'll meet a girl who reads your heart, and knows the _real_ you, the way I do."_

_I hugged her. "I love you, Mother."_

_"I love you too, Zuko."_

O~O~O~O

I opened my eyes slowly, possibly even _more_ confused by that dream than I was about anything else. Right now, more than anything, I wanted to hear my Mother's voice. I _needed_ her advice. How was I supposed to get through this alone?

I glanced up at the wall, where I'd replaced my swords. I recalled how Emma had shown up to help, how she'd used her fan and her Waterbending (although I could see how shaky her movements were, since she'd never fought before) to help me…I hadn't been alone _then_…

But…I didn't want Emma anywhere _near_ the battlefield! It could just as easily have been _her_ who'd gotten shot…

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I was sitting in the washroom, wearing only my underwear and manipulating some water in a large wide bucket in front of me. I was _supposed_ to be washing my clothes, but something was bothering me.

"_Why_ can I not bend this stuff properly? !" I demanded to know. "I was doing it _perfectly_ before!" With a sigh of frustration, I returned the beads of water to the bucket, before reaching up and unhooking my bra. "Oh well, at least I know how to wash clothes properly." I dropped my bra into the bucket. "Like I'd trust anyone _else_ here to do it…"

Just then, the doors to the washroom flew open, and Zuko burst into the room. "Emma!" He shouted – and then stopped dead when he saw me.

O~O~O~O

**Iroh's P.O.V:**

I jumped at the explosion, and then a powerful jet-stream of water shot out from one side of the ship, as well as what appeared to be my nephew. This was accompanied by his cry of shock, and Emma's yell of outrage. It sounded like she was calling him a pervert again. There was a resounding splash. Then silence.

I sighed, and set down my tea cup, before calling to the helmsman that we were going to need to stop.

O~O~O~O

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I got back on board the ship, coughing up water and soaking wet. Emma was nowhere in sight but, just then, Yang Chong came strutting up to me. He regarded me with accusing blue eyes, before spitting a row of fireballs at me.

"That'a boy!" I heard Emma call. "Use Flame Thrower!"

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I was walking along the beach at sunset, wondering how late I could stay out before Prince Zuko came looking for me. I'd been practicing my Waterbending on the ocean, and it was a lot of fun. I wanted to get back to the ship though, since it was getting kind of late…and cold.

Yang Chong walked directly behind me, like a little baby hen, even though he wasn't so little anymore. I thought it must be the diet of fireballs and hot coals that had helped his growth. He was also starting to develop some remarkable plumage.

"_Sun down, all around, walking through the summer sand,_" I sang. "_Waves crash, baby don't look back, I would walk away again_…"

Just then, a pair of hands grabbed me around the arms, and another pair grabbed my shoulders. I froze when I felt a knife blade press up against my throat.

I was soon surrounded by six or seven men, and all of them had an appearance that screamed: PIRATE. These must be the pirates that worked "with" Zuko that other time! I recognized them from the TV show.

Yang Chong was furious, and jumped onto one of the pirate's heads, pecking away with his sharp beak.

"What the hell? !" The pirate swatted at him, but Yang Chong jumped away, and spat a fireball at the pirate who had the knife to my throat.

"It's a phoenix!" Another pirate exclaimed. "Anyone would pay a handsome price for such a rare beast!"

The pirate's reptile bird flew straight at Yang Chong, and they began to have a fight.

_No! Oh, no! They weren't getting MY phoenix, my BABY!_ "Yang Chong!" I called, struggling against my captors and managing to free one of my arms. "Don't stay here! Go and get Zuko and Iroh!" Yang Chong looked at me. "_Hurry_!" I swung around and caused a small wave to crash down near to the two birds. I wasn't sure if the pirates realized it was me that caused that wave, but Yang Chong somehow managed to evade the reptile bird and take flight, although his wings weren't really strong enough for it. I was about to bend some more water at my attackers, when I felt someone pinch my pressure point on my neck, and I knew no more…

O~O~O~O

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I was on the deck of my ship, pacing back and forth angrily.

"Where _is_ she?" I asked my Uncle angrily.

"If you are referring to Emma, then she said that she was going for a walk along the beach, to practice her Waterbending before we left." My Uncle sipped on some tea.

I was annoyed at his calmness. "I _told_ her to tell me where she was going to be at all times!" I clenched my fists. "Why does she keep _doing_ this? !" Suddenly, I sensed something, and ducked just in time. The now very familiar fireballs hit the deck, and Yang Chong landed on the deck as well.

My Uncle and I both looked down at him. He looked dreadful. He was carrying something in his beak. I took it up and looked at it. It was a piece of clothing, and there was something very familiar about it.

"Isn't that a feather from a Reptile Bird?" My Uncle asked me quietly.

I recognized it instantly. "Emma's been captured by pirates!" I realized, before I ran off to save Emma – again.

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I opened my eyes slowly and, for a split second, I was comforted by the fact that I was near to water. Then, fear quickly replaced my comfort when I realized that I was in some sort of cave, and that I was now a prisoner of the pirates. My hands and feet were bound by ropes, so I couldn't Waterbend, and I was suddenly overcome with a great feeling of anxiety. My greatest fear…no…it couldn't happen…oh God, please don't let it happen!

The cave was dimly lit, and quite big. There was one exit, that I could see, as well as a large pool of water. It was _exactly_ the kind of pirate's hide-out you'd see in _Treasure Island_ or something…

I heard a sound from above me, and glanced up to see the reptile bird perched on a rock. I glared at it. "What are _you_ looking at?" I asked it. "Whatever the hell you are…"

It responded by hopping onto my head and pecking me.

"OUCH! !" I yelled. I shook my head and it jumped off. "Is this payback? !" It seemed to snicker. "I'll take that as a yes…" My head hurt now!

The pirates became aware that I was awake just then, and came sauntering over to me. I stared at them all, with a mixture of fear and dislike on my face.

"Just you wait until my friends get here," I said, sounding just like someone in a movie. "They're gonna Fire Bend you lot to a crisp!" _Well, at least I HOPE they come…I don't wanna be here!_

The Pirate Captain leaned close to me, smiling somewhat evilly. "I very much _doubt_ that ye'r friends will come for ye, 'specially if they're, as ye say, _Fire Benders_."

"And why do 'ye' reckon that, _Mon Capitan_?" I asked sarcastically. My heart was pounding. I _really_ didn't want to be here anymore. "What does their being Fire Benders have to do with this? Why have you brought me here? !" I demanded to know.

The captain and his crew laughed, and the reptile bird flew onto his master's shoulder. "Because I'd be surprised if they can find us before dawn, by which time we'll be settin' sail!" The captain informed me. "So, best get some rest – it'll be a long trip, sweetheart."

I gritted my teeth. "_Don't call me sweetheart_!" I snapped.

The captain just laughed again, as he and his crew moved away. "Whatever ye say. Our investor wasn't kiddin' when he said ye had a lot of spunk. I'm still surprised he was willin' ta pay so handsomely, though."

"I'm not." Another pirate laughed. "She's alright, for a kid."

"Ya, but he wanted her in one piece," A different pirate nodded, almost sagely. "And, ye know what they say, tha investor's _always_ right…"

"Aye."

"What investor?" I called after them, even though I knew they wouldn't answer me. "Who are you working for? !"

They didn't answer me, and I groaned in frustration. _Where ARE you guys_? I wondered, thinking about Prince Zuko and Uncle Iroh. _You have to save me, soon…_

O~O~O~O

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

It was easy enough to find the spot where Emma had been when she was attacked. The sand was all scuffed up with footprints, and I could even see where she'd Waterbended a little bit, since it was now low-tide. I could easily make out Emma's smaller footprints, and my heart clenched in anger.

I looked all around me, and saw that the footprints led off the beach, towards the rocks. I followed carefully, in case there were any sentries and, sure enough, I saw two of them on guard outside a cave.

They were talking in voices that _weren't_ hushed, so I could easily hear them from the rock I was hiding behind.

"I _still_ don't get _why_ he's so interested in this kid…" The first one tossed a rock up in the air, and caught it again. "Enough to pay all that gold for her, anyway…"

"Yeah, me neither," The second one shrugged. "He didn't say much 'bout her, just that she's _not_ ta be underestimated…what's so dangerous about her, anyway?"

"Proly' more those _friends_ she keeps talking about," The first pirate laughed. "Not that any Firebender would _dare_ question the Admiral's orders…"

I froze. Did I hear right?

Just when I was trying to decide what to do, I heard a noise from down the path, and the two pirates heard it, too.

"What was that?" The first one asked, straightening up.

"It sounded like someone coming!" The second added. "Let's go check it out!"

The two of them ran off, leaving the entry to the cave unguarded, and giving _me_ the chance to slip in, unnoticed.

O~O~O~O

By some kind of miracle, all of the pirates were asleep when I entered the cave. They were sprawled out like complete idiots, totally unawares.

I saw Emma tied up by the water, and I felt the familiar feelings of anger burn in my heart. _They tied her up? ! Like some kind of a wild animal? !_

I began to creep around the edge of the save towards her, hardly daring to breath. However, I was less than halfway to her, when I suddenly felt a Jian Sword at my throat.

"Not. Another. Step." The all-too-familiar voice of the Pirate Captain growled in my ear, as the rest of the pirate crew seemed to come to life just then, and I realized that I'd been had.

Emma was awake and watching as I stood there, with the captain's sword pressed up against my throat, and that was when I attacked.

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I was horrified as I watched the pirates somehow manage to overwhelm Prince Zuko, despite all of his Firebending. That was because he had to surrender when one of the pirates threatened _me_. I was mortified. After Zuko had surrendered, he was beaten, and tied up in a similar fashion to what I was.

The pirates were still laughing and talking as I looked over at a bruised and bleeding Prince Zuko, and whispered: "Are you alright?" As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I could tell that he _wasn't_. He looked like a train wreck!

He glanced over at me. "I'm sorry." He muttered, in a rare show of contriteness.

"Thanks for trying to rescue me." I whispered back. "I'm sorry also."

"Oh, ain't that sweet?" One of the pirates had overheard us, and Zuko and I both glared at him.

"Ain't it cute when lovers make up?" Another said, and all the pirates laughed.

I was furious. "We're not _lovers_," I said angrily, wishing that I could untie my hands somehow. "But, you lot wouldn't understand that! It's different from that!" _It's more than love, it's TRUST!_

The captain actually looked a little bit interested. "Oh, really, girlie? Then what _is_ it?"

At once, an idea struck me. I had a chance to save us both, but I'd _need_ to do this _right_. "If you untie me," I said, slowly and carefully, aware that my heart was pounding fast. "Then I can _show_ you. I can demonstrate the power I'm talking about."

The captain laughed. "Nice try, kid!" He said.

I laughed, a little mockingly. I imagined that it was Zhao I was talking to. "You're afraid to untie me?" I asked. "Scared, because you're terrified of my power?"

The captain shook his head. "I've been informed about ye from our investor – he says ye've got a lot of spark, kid. He says not ta let our guard down around ye." He smiled slightly.

I smirked. "It's _more_ than just spark. Imagine if _you_ were the one who was able to discover my _true_ powers, and tell your investor friend about them! He'd reward you handsomely, I'm sure!"

The captain looked thoughtful. "Hmm…"

"If this investor is who I _think_ he is," I added, a lot more calmly than I felt. "Then I'm _sure_ he'd be able to pay _a lot_, for the discovery of such a power…"

The captain nodded to one of his crew members. "Untie her!" He barked. Then, as an afterthought, he added: "But blindfold her, as well." I gulped. "We don't want her…_getting away_…"

O~O~O~O

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

_What is she DOING?_ I wondered desperately, as she stood up, blindfolded. I really had no idea _what_ she was about to do, and I just hoped that she wouldn't get hurt. I wished I'd brought Uncle Iroh along on this so-called rescue mission.

"Zuko?" Emma knelt down beside me, and spoke very, very softly into my ear. "I need you to help me – I need you to tell me _exactly_ where the pirates are…I need you to be my eyes for me…"

"_What_?" Was she crazy?

"I trust you, Zuko…don't let me down…" She kissed the side of my face, the side with the scar, and then I heard her stand up. "Okay then…"


	14. Trust You Forever – Part Two

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Trust You Forever – Part Two

O~O~O~O

_"Zuko?" Emma knelt down beside me, and spoke very, very softly into my ear. "I need you to help me – I need you to tell me exactly where the pirates are…I need you to be my eyes for me…"_

_"What?" Was she crazy?_

_"I trust you, Zuko…don't let me down…" _

O~O~O~O

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I watched as Emma stood up, and I felt like I had no idea what was about to happen. Oh, except that she was gonna get hurt! _Why_ did she have to keep doing this to me? !

I looked at her again, and noticed for the first time that she was very calm. She appeared to be waiting, and I thought about her words: _I trust you, Zuko…don't let me down._ What the hell was _that_ supposed to mean? !

I did know one thing for certain, though. She was gonna need my help. I had to be her eyes for this. I knew her well enough to know when she was serious about doing something.

I looked carefully around at all the pirates. There were six of them, including the captain, and I thought I'd be able to tell Emma where each of them was without _too_ much trouble. The hard part was going to be her actually _fighting_. So much for keeping her away from the battlefield!

"There's two of them," I told her clearly, watching as the pirates looked at each other in surprise. "To your left. Both of them are tall. Should go down easy enough, though."

"Thanks." Emma responded – and then she attacked.

And, she _really_ attacked. I was instantly shocked by the speed and strength with which she delivered her attacks, and I recognized not only Uncle Iroh's teachings, but also some things she must've picked up on Kyoshi, and even a few things that looked like Waterbending.

She caught the first two pirates by surprise, so they really _did_ go down easy enough. After that, though, she really _did_ need my help.

"There's two coming up behind you, short and tall!" I called to her. "The tall one's on the left and has a knife!" I hoped she couldn't hear the panic in my voice. Why on earth was she _doing_ this? ! What would it achieve?

I watched as she kicked the knife out of the tall pirate's hand (how did she know where it was?) before following through with some sort of punch, that she called a _Sky Uppercut_ or something. How do I know? Because she yelled it out. Later on, she told me it was some attack used by Torchick, whatever the hell that was.

"The short guy!" I reminded her.

"I know!" She called back, jumping up and executing a spinning back heel kick, which knocked him out.

"The first pirates are getting back up!" I yelled to her, as one of the first two pirates lunged at her. "Duck!"

She didn't exactly duck, but more bent over backwards, and the guy just flew right over the top of her. He landed in the water.

Emma straightened up. "Where's the other one, Zuko?" She called to me.

"He's right behind you!" I yelled back. "He's got a sword!"

One of the other pirates noticed this, and seemed to become panicked. "Remember what the Admiral said! She's to be kept alive!"

"Doesn't mean I can't cut her up a bit!" The pirate with the sword snapped back.

I watched Emma freeze up, slightly. "Admiral? You mean…Zhao? You're working for _Zhao_? !" She spun around to face the captain (somehow). "_That's_ why you told me Zuko wouldn't come, isn't it? !"

"I didn't know ye're friend here was the banished prince," The captain said calmly. "Though, I've yet ta see this _power_ you speak of…" He glanced at me, and then at the pirate with the sword. "Change of plans – silence the banished prince. We're finished here."

I noticed that Emma's hands were shaking, and I wondered what was about to happen next. Of all the times I'd been in danger with Emma, this was by far the strangest. What would she do?

"You're working for Zhao…I was right…" She said quietly, her voice also shaking. With anger or fear, I couldn't tell. She suddenly reached up, and whipped the blindfold away from her face. Her eyes were no longer hazel, but glowing all pink. The symbol was back on her forehead. A power began to whip up around her. "_Because you hurt my Prince, I'll show you my power_!"

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I wasn't sure I was completely in control of myself after the pirate captain threatened to hurt Prince Zuko, and I felt that familiar pink light bubble up inside of me and cascade over, like someone left the water on the stove for too long. I wondered vaguely if this was how Aang felt when he went into the Avatar state. But, at least, he _knew_ what was happening. I didn't know what this power was, but I was going to use it.

I was aware of the cave walls shaking, and rocks began to crumble around us as my power seemed to whip around me in brilliant pink light. A number of stalactites fell from the ceiling, pointy rocks striking the ground all around us, and a couple of them actually fell near Zuko, damaging the ropes binding him enough for him to break free. The reptile bird managed to dodge a few stray stalactites, before stopping to rest, and one fell over on top of him. _That_ was for Yang Chong…

"Let's get outta here!" One of the pirates yelled. "The place is gonna cave in!"

They began running for the exit, which was caving in. My necklace was torn from my neck, but I paid it no heed, although I would miss it later on.

The pirate captain looked at me, and I stared back at him with disdain.

"Ye're gonna kill us all!" He told me, slight panic lacing his voice.

"_Then so be it_!" I replied, in a voice that was hardly my own. It reminded me of when Aang was in his Avatar state, but it scared the hell out of me! I was too angry to stop it, though.

Somebody suddenly grabbed my arm, and I turned angrily. "_What_?"

Prince Zuko was at my side, looking at me without any expression on his face. It was all in his eyes, enough emotion to make me blink, and the pink light dulled from all around me, drawing back slowly into my forehead. I could see my own hazel eyes reflected in his; mine were scared and confused, and I hoped he wouldn't be angry at me. There was blood on his face, and bruises on his arms. I felt ashamed at my reaction all of a sudden.

"I'm sorry." I whispered.

He nodded slightly.

"It _can't_ be…" The pirate captain seemed awed all of a sudden. "Ye can't be the Pri…"

Zuko suddenly turned to him, moving his hands quickly to his side and building up fire with them. "You played a dangerous game tonight, but _nobody_ should be permitted to play with fire!" He punched and kicked the fire at the captain, who barely managed to dodge it but, in the chaos, Zuko and I managed to escape into the water…

O~O~O~O

Zuko and I swam side-by-side, not knowing where the cave led to or even if we would make it. The underwater route itself seemed to be lit with some sort of strange light, although I'm pretty sure both Zuko and I were too keyed up to notice it.

Zuko suddenly stopped swimming, and I realized with a jolt that he was too weak to go on. I myself was feeling weak, and I _certainly_ couldn't call upon my pink light again to save us. I felt like my lungs were about to explode, however.

I swam back and grabbed Zuko's arm. He looked into my eyes.

_Don't you DARE give up!_ I thought angrily. I used Waterbending to push us forward, and then I saw moonlight above us, and was able to use Waterbending to push us up, the last of my energy, I thought.

Zuko and I broke through the surface, gasping for air.

The moonlight shone in through a hole in the cave above us, and the walls were decorated with some sort of glowing rocks.

Somehow, we managed to swim over to the sandy shore, even though there were no other exits other than the one above our heads.

We lay side-by-side on the sand, not talking, just breathing. I'm not sure how long we stayed like that for (my time perception is terrible) but, presently, Zuko turned his head to look at me.

"Are you okay?" He asked me quietly.

I swallowed, and replied: "Y-yeah…I think so…a little cold, though…"

Zuko moved over, and gathered me up so that I was lying across his chest, which was unusually warm. "There…" He said.

"How are you…oh, right, Firebender…" I remembered, feeling the blood rise up to my face. _This has GOT to be a dream!_ I could hear Zuko's heart beating. I felt like I was about to faint.

"Yeah…I'm not as good as my sister, though…" Zuko replied, a little sadly.

"By whose opinion?" I wanted to know.

"By my Father's," The Prince shrugged. "By _everybody's_. My Mother was the only one who ever really believed in me."

"What about Uncle Iroh?" I asked quietly.

"He taught me everything I know, I guess…" Zuko said. "He's a good teacher…" He added, as an afterthought.

"Yeah, he is…" I remembered how I'd used his lessons to help me beat the pirates. "Without him – and you – I wouldn't have been able to beat those pirates…but, then I got really angry and just…lost it, I guess…" I sighed.

"Emma…what _was_ that power you used back there? The pink light?" Prince Zuko wanted to know.

"I…I don't know…" I replied, shifting myself slightly and raising myself up on my hands to look into his face. "It's the third time I've used it, I'm really scared of it." I admitted. "The pirate captain seemed to know what it was, though…"

Zuko was looking at me intently. His gaze reminded me of Uncle Iroh's. "Emma…have you ever heard about the Legend Of The Pri…?"

Just then, there was a musical cry from above us, and both of us looked up to see a red and gold bird fly down from the hole in the ceiling.

"Yang Chong!" I cried. "You're okay!" I was thrilled!

He flew down to me, and landed beside Zuko's head. That was when I noticed something _awful_!

"_You're bleeding_!" I exclaimed suddenly, looking at the blood on the back of Zuko's neck.

"Well, yeah, I got attacked by pirates!" Zuko sounded a little surprised, but then he touched the back of his neck with his hand. "I didn't notice until now…"

"Okay, umm, come on!" I grabbed his arms and made him sit up. I was panicking slightly, but tried not to show it as I got Zuko back to the water, and made him lie down with his injuries _in_ the water. I glanced up at the moon, silently begging it for some help, since I didn't know how to use water to heal.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Zuko asked quietly.

"Ssh!" I hissed, and watched annoyance flash across his eyes.

Yang Chong leaned his head beside Zuko's neck, and a few tears leaked out of his blue eyes, healing some of the wounds there.

I closed _my_ eyes, in concentration, and held my hands on the Prince's chest. I tried to focus my chi, but all I could focus on was the beating of the Prince's heart. A strange jolt, like electricity, ran through my body.

I jumped, and opened my eyes. "Did…did it work?"

Zuko was looking at me, slightly wary. "Well, I'm not bleeding anymore, am I?" He sat up, and I realized that he was right. His injuries had been healed, although he still looked pale. I myself felt weak as well, and sat back on the sand, feeling slightly drained and light-headed.

"Close your eyes." Zuko suddenly commanded me, and I did so, although I hoped he wouldn't kiss me again. I really _would_ faint, if he did!

I felt his hands at my neck, and then something slid into place around my neck.

I opened my eyes. "Huh?"

"Because you're a Waterbender," Zuko said softly. "You need a Waterbending necklace…"

"Katara's necklace?" I guessed, and Zuko nodded. _What…I can't keep this! It belongs to Katara! She'll KILL me if she sees me with it!_ I glanced at Zuko. "Do you know what this necklace means to the people of the North Pole?" I asked him. "It's a betrothal necklace…"

Zuko seemed to consider this, and at last he nodded wordlessly.

I gulped. _Well, I suppose I'll hang onto it for Katara…but, wait! Isn't she supposed to show the necklace to Master Pakku, who recognizes it and teaches her Waterbending? ! Did I just mess up the story-line? And…where's Jun? Isn't there a stowaway onboard our ship or something?_

I was just about to mention this to Zuko, when there was a small sound from behind us, and the pirate captain burst out of the water, landing on the sand near to us, and both Zuko and I jumped up.

"Finally found ye!" He told us. "And, this time there's no escape for _either_ of ye!"

Zuko and I stood side-by-side, preparing ourselves for a battle we weren't sure we could win.

I'd forgotten about Yang Chong, though.

He flew down to get between the pirate captain and Zuko and me, and shot a steady stream of fire at the captain, who was sent back into the glowing cave wall by the blast.

Yang Chong flew just above mine and Zuko's heads and, on an impulse, I grabbed one of his legs. "Grab hold!" I told Zuko.

He gave me a look like I was completely insane. "What? !"

"Just _do_ it!"

Zuko did so, and then let out a yell of surprise when Yang Chong was easily able to lift us both out of the cave. "But how…? !"

"Because he's a phoenix!" I responded, joyously, as we flew out into the night.


	15. The Assassination

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The Assassination

O~O~O~O

_"Because you're a Waterbender," Zuko said softly. "You need a Waterbending necklace…"_

_"Katara's necklace?" I guessed, and Zuko nodded. What…I can't keep this! It belongs to Katara! She'll KILL me if she sees me with it! I glanced at Zuko. "Do you know what this necklace means to the people of the North Pole?" I asked him. "It's a betrothal necklace…"_

O~O~O~O

**No One's P.O.V:**

"Perhaps _this_ will be enough?" The chest filled to the rim with gold coins was placed onto the table. "You know what you have to do…"

"Aye…" The Pirate Captain looked at the gold with greedy eyes. "We do…"

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I was practicing with Uncle Iroh, going through some very advanced sets and wishing that I hadn't lost my fan. I _needed_ that fan! It was a gift from Suki! We were docked at a bay, and it was sunset.

"Uncle Iroh," I said when we'd stopped. "Do you know something weird? Every time I Waterbend, it only seems to work when I'm…" I blushed. "Well, when I'm thinking about Zuko…the first time was when I was angry at him, and I punched my fist at the ocean back on Kyoshi…that was when I first discovered that I was a Waterbender. It's weird, but I can't seem to do it otherwise. It works _really_ well when he's there…why do you suppose this is?" I looked down at the deck, embarrassed.

Uncle Iroh looked at me intently. "I am not sure why this is, but it is by no means a _bad_ thing. We often draw our strength from various sources…Emma…I have been meaning to ask you…when you were thrown into the ocean the night of the storm…"

"_Yes_…?" I asked warily.

Uncle Iroh's eyes were very intent. "The power that you exhibited…the pink light…"

"How come everyone _else_ seems to know what that power is all about? !" I exclaimed, accidentally upsetting the water nearby in my annoyance. "Zuko, Zhao, even the pirate captain knew something! I want to know!"

Uncle Iroh looked up. "Emma…" He began.

"Look, if there's something you all know," I interrupted him. "I'd rather you all tell me now, before I find out from someone _else_, and in a very bad way!"

Uncle Iroh sighed, and then he looked past me. "Ah, is it time for Music Night already? !" He called, and I turned to see that the rest of the crew had come up from below deck. "Excellent!"

I sighed. "Fine…I'll be up in a minute…"

O~O~O~O

"It hasn't been fixed yet?" I asked, as Lieutenant Jee was standing beside the hole I'd made in the ship the other night.

He shook his head. "No. I've been meaning to do it, and the Prince has finally ordered me to."

"He's not all that bad," I said, shrugging. "I trust him and his judgment."

"That's good to hear," Jee told me, with honesty in his voice. "I've been on this ship for three years, and I've never seen the Prince act like this before."

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously, looking up at him.

"It's because of you," Jee told me, smiling slightly.

"Me?" I squeaked. "But…I'm not _that_ special…I just don't want anything bad to happen to him…I dunno why, I mean, we only just met…" I was blushing.

Jee _was_ smiling by now. "I used to think that he deserved everything he got, but now…I've seen him in a different light…he's changing, just a little bit. You've been good for him, and I'm pretty sure he feels the same way about you."

"Really?"

Jee nodded. "Really. You're not like most other young women…there's something special about you, Emma."

I smiled as well, event hough I was blushing. "I guess…that's good…thank you, Lieutenant Jee…"

O~O~O~O

I was blushing as I was singing, unable to quite believe that I'd selected _this_ song to sing. "_Ooh baby, let my loving ease your pain! Bring your burning skin to my river once again, I'll give you life! Ooh, baby let my loving ease your pain, yeah…yeah…bring your burning skin to my river, ohhh to my river…_"

The crew was staring at me, and I'm sure my face was flushed. I was smiling though, because this was a really great song, and also because Prince Zuko was sitting at the other end of the deck, listening in on Music Night for the first time…EVER! I wasn't singing this song for Zuko…I wasn't! Though, from the way Uncle Iroh was looking from me to Zuko, I'll bet he thought I was…

Just then, I became aware of someone _else_ watching me, and I stopped singing and stood up, turning around fast.

Sure enough, Admiral Zhao had boarded our ship, along with a few of his soldiers.

Without even thinking, I found myself snapping: "What are _you_ doing here? !" I was _not_ thrilled to see him, needless to say. _Get off our ship!_

Uncle Iroh had also stood up, and placed a hand on my shoulder, a warning, as the rest of the crew looked on uneasily, and Zuko joined us.

"Yes, _Admiral_ Zhao, why _are_ you here?" Zuko sounded about as happy as I was to see his rival, and I noticed that he and Zhao appeared to be glaring at each other.

"I see you two are as friendly as ever, even after your little romantic getaway." Zhao said, a hint of mockery in his voice. I saw Zuko's fists clench at his sides. Zhao glanced at Zuko, and then his eyes traveled to Zuko's shoulder, where a hint of bandage could be seen from underneath his robes. "I do hope that shoulder isn't troubling you, Prince Zuko. What exactly did you do to it?"

At that exact moment, Jee walked up from below deck and said: "Prince Zuko, the repairs to the hole in the ship is…completed…" He trailed off when he saw Zhao, who obviously wanted to know what had happened.

Uncle Iroh told him that someone had gotten angry and damaged the ship (and Zuko), leaving out the fact that it had been _me_ who'd done the damage. From the way Zhao was looking at us all, I could tell he didn't believe us.

He did, however, look _very_ smug, as he told us that he was taking possession of Zuko's crew (including the cook). This news was met with varying levels

"_What_? !" Zuko and I exclaimed in unison.

I was looking at the crew and then back at Zhao. "But…but…_why_?" My voice rang across the deck. I looked back at the crew, and then at Lieutenant Jee. I'd grown close to this crew, particularly after the storm, when they'd understood Zuko better. Also, I'd confided in Jee about my desire to protect prince Zuko, and he'd seemed to understand. No one else really understood that, except maybe Uncle Iroh. I'd known this was going to happen, but _still_…

"I have been given orders that take number one priority over everything else," Zhao explained, giving both Zuko and me a steely look. "And, for that, I require all of your crew members." His look changed slightly, and his amber eyes locked with my hazel ones. "_All_ of them…"

"Who died and made _you_ my boss?" I snapped.

Zhao leaned closer to me, and whispered so that only I could hear: "No one…yet…"

I reacted instantly, swinging my body around in order to punch Admiral Zhao, because I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt what his words had just implied. However, Uncle Iroh had anticipated my reaction, and grabbed me, pinning my arms to my sides and giving Zuko a warning look.

Then, he looked at Zhao, and said, with amazing calmness: "Admiral Zhao, while I understand you taking the rest of this crew under your command, please remember that Emma is not an official Fire Nation crew member recruited by the Nation. She is free to go where she chooses. Emma?"

"I'm staying with Zuko!" I said, more to Zhao than to anyone else. I was glaring at said Admiral, wishing that he would stop looking at me with those amber eyes.

Zhao sighed. "Actually, no she isn't. I have been given direct orders to take her into custody."

Iroh's grip tightened on me. "On what grounds?" He wanted to know.

Zhao now locked gazes with Iroh. "I think you know…"

Iroh didn't say anything, but Zuko did. "And _I_ think you'd better get off my ship, _now_!" He glanced carelessly at the crew, and then added: "You can take them with you, but _she_," He looked at me now. "Stays here! I'll be happy to settle this matter with another Agni Kai, if you want! I'd look forward to that!"

"So would I!" I added.

Zhao looked from me to Zuko, and then shook his head. "Both of you have a _lot_ to understand about the subtleties of war…" He muttered, before ordering his new crew to leave the ship.

O~O~O~O

Iroh went for a walk a few minutes after this had happened – I watched him walk along the beach and into the trees. Above me, Yang Chong flew about in lazy circles. Below deck, Zuko had retired early.

I sighed, and leaned against the railing of the ship, wishing that tonight had gone differently. I still couldn't believe that we'd just lost our crew, although I'd known it was going to happen. I just wished that the _next_ part didn't have to happen, either…

I suddenly gasped. "Oh no! The explosion! ZUKO! !" I shouted, seeing the reptile bird suddenly fly up into the sky to attack Yang Chong. "GET UP HERE! !"

Just then, I spun around, and saw the pirate captain standing on the deck. He was holding my yin-yang necklace, and looking at me calmly.

"Let's not make this difficult…" He said.

"No," I snapped. "Let's make this _very_ difficult, jerk!" I jumped up backwards and landed on the deck railing. "I know why you're here, and who sent you!" I remembered the explosion. "ZUKO, GET UP HERE! !" I yelled again, desperately.

"Too late." The pirate captain smirked, just as an explosion rocked the ship, and the force of it sent me flying.

I screamed, as I flew through the air, and then landed on the sand roughly, feeling as though I'd just been run over. I sat up too fast and felt light-headed, as the red and yellow flames from the ship danced in front of my eyes. "NO! !" I screamed, trying to get up and run, and not able to. "NO, ZUKO! ! **ZUKO**! !" I was sobbing and screaming at the same time, as someone was running towards me, and a pair of strong arms grabbed me.

I didn't know if Zuko had made it, like he was supposed to, or not…had I messed up the story-line too much?


	16. Admiral Zhao's Deal

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Admiral Zhao's Deal

_O~O~O~O_

_I was sobbing and screaming at the same time, as someone was running towards me, and a pair of strong arms grabbed me._

_I didn't know if Zuko had made it, like he was supposed to, or not…had I messed up the story-line too much?_

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

When I came to, I was lying in a bed in an unfamiliar room, and a man I didn't known was tying a bandage around my wrist.

"Aurgh…where…where am I?" I asked slowly, feeling a throbbing, pounding in my head, like I was drunk. Or having a hang-over. I looked around the room. It was big and spacious, and nicely furnished. Red hangings decorated the walls, and I knew I must be on a Fire Nation ship.

The man, who must've been a doctor, smiled calmly. "You are on a Fire Nation Ship. We're sailing through the northern waters of theEarthKingdomat the moment."

"Oh." I blinked. "Wait…where's Uncle Iroh? !" I gasped. _If he's not here, I'm leaving._ I thought, already mentally preparing myself for the mad dash to the water. I sat up, slowly though, because my body was still hurting. The mad dash was gonna be harder than I thought.

"He is being briefed about the upcoming events, in the board room." The doctor told me.

"What about Prince Zuko?" I dared to ask.

The doctor cast his eyes downwards. "Unfortunately, the Prince…did not survive the explosion." I gasped. The doctor patted my hand. "I am truly sorry for your loss." He really _did_ sound sorry.

My head was spinning, and I leaned forward, resting my forehead on my non-injured hand. "How…how could this have happened? Why did those pirates…?" Tears filled my eyes. "Oh my God, no…Zuko…we only just met, and now he…" I touched the necklace around my neck, and forced myself to calm down and think rationally. The last thing I needed was to go into my "pink light state" again. "Are…are you sure?" I looked at the doctor. "I mean…was there…a body?" I gulped. I didn't want to hear it if there was, but I _had_ to know.

The doctor nodded. "General Iroh was witness to the explosion, and saw the…body…" He seemed to sense that I didn't really want to hear anymore details, and stood up. "I'll leave you alone to get dressed. Be careful of your wrist," He indicated to my right one. "It's badly sprained. You'll need to keep movement of it minimal for a few days."

I nodded, and swung my legs over the side of the bed. "Ouch!" I exclaimed, as a sharp pain jolted through my right side.

"You also damaged your ribs when you fell." The doctor stated.

"Thanks for the info, doc." I muttered.

O~O~O~O

I forgot about my various aches and pains, however, when I came up onto the deck of the absolutely _massive_ Fire Nation ship, wearing new Fire Nation-style red robes that, I had to admit, looked really cool. Standing at the bow of the boat were Admiral Zhao and…

"Uncle Iroh!" I called to him, already running across the deck despite my injuries.

Uncle iroh turned, and I reached him and threw my arms around him, not caring what anyone thought. I was just _so_ glad to see him.

Iroh hugged me back, taking care to not squeeze me too tightly (because of my ribs). He leaned close, and whispered in my ear, so softly I barely heard it: "_He's alive_."

I gulped, and stepped back, wiping away the tears in my eyes before turning to look up at Admiral Zhao. I was trying to keep the smugness out of my mind, at the fact that we won and Zhao didn't. However, I was curious about one thing. "Where are we going?" I had a feeling I knew. It was getting colder again.

Zhao glanced at Iroh, and then back at me. "The Fire Lord has ordered an attack on the North Pole Water Tribe." Zhao told me, calmly and carefully, and I saw that he was checking my eyes for any signs of weakness. "As you can see, we are preparing for the first phase of our attack, which will be carried out in a matter of days." He motioned with his arm, and I looked out to sea.

My mouth dropped open. "S…so many warships…" I whispered, walking over to the railing despite myself. It was all…very impressive-looking, I had to admit. Aside from the whole _war_ thing, that is…I shuddered. I gripped the railing with my hands, and forced myself to think optimistically. _It's going to be alright, it's going to be alright!_ A cold wind blew my hair around me, making me shiver.

Iroh and Zhao had come to stand on either side of me. Iroh placed his hand over mine, and squeezed it gently. It was a small gesture, but one I understood to mean that _he_ understood what I meant. We were seeing this in the same way. The Fire Nation was proud and strong, but it wasn't doing anyone any good by doing this. The picture painted before us was one of both strength and destruction. It simply wasn't _right_…

Zhao, of course, did _not_ share that same view. "Yes, it is a magnificent sight…soon, the Fire Nation _will_ claim victory in this war…"

I closed my eyes briefly. "Why? What can the Fire Nation _possibly_ do that it hasn't _already_ done?" My voice shook slightly.

Just then, Zhao's hand took my injured one, opened it and placed something familiar in it. I opened my eyes to see my yin yang necklace.

"My necklace!" I gasped, despite myself. "But where…I thought I lost this…?" That was when I realized something. "Yin and yang…wait…you can't mean…? Tui and La, the spirits?" I looked at Uncle Iroh, whose face remained expressionless, but his eyes betrayed concern. "What do _they_ have to do with this, what is the Fire Nation planning?" I asked, my voice rising, even though I knew full well what Zhao was going to do.

Zhao looked down at me, something akin to triumph in his amber eyes. "I mentioned to you before that neither you _nor_ Prince Zuko understood much of what was going on in this war. But soon…soon you, Emma, _will_…"

"Zhao…" I began, none of my usual contempt colouring my voice when I addressed him but, just then, a group of soldiers ran up onto the deck, all of them with blackened faces and clothes that were half burnt.

"What is going _on_?" Zhao demanded to know, as the soldiers bent over double, breathing heavily.

One of them looked up. "The…the bird…captured…attacking…everybody…breathing _fire_!" He panted, before passing out on the deck.

I gasped. "Yang Chong!" I exclaimed, just as the bird himself appeared from below – by flying up and destroying part of the deck. He was glowing more brightly than I'd seen him before, although I wondered in my mind if this was his fullest form or not. He was also surrounded by rings of fire, which were gold and yellow in colour. "_Yang Chong_!" I shouted again, just as a group of soldiers charged up from below deck, and fired several blasts of fire at the phoenix. "_Noooo_! !" I yelled, running forward and grabbing Yang Chong in my arms. The fire balls raced towards me, and I shut my eyes and held up one hand, like _that_ would do any good.

When I opened my eyes, however, the scene had changed.

Standing between me and the soldiers, and seemingly having just dispelled the fire, as only Fire Benders can do, were Uncle Iroh and Admiral Zhao. I blinked a bit, and then stood up, still holding Yang Chong in my arms.

"That bird…" One of the soldiers said, glaring at me and Yang Chong. "_Attacked_ us! It broke the ropes we used to tie it up…"

"Well, _there's_ your problem!" I interrupted, pushing past Iroh and Zhao and holding Yang Chong out in front of me. "How _dare_ you tie up a fellow Firebender, in fact he's a better Firebender than you sorry lot will _ever_ be! Don't you _ever_ touch Yang Chong again!" I added, actually shaking my finger at the men. "You should all be _ashamed_ of yourselves!" Yang Chong tilted his head towards the sky and crowed softly.

"That is enough, Emma." Uncle Iroh said to me quietly, and I nodded, stepping back to stand beside him. I probably had a _lot_ of explaining to do now…

O~O~O~O

**Zhao's P.O.V:**

I leaned forward across the board room table, focusing all my attention on the teenager sitting in front of me. "Is there something…that you are not telling me?" I asked her. I knew that Emma was keeping something from me, I had seen enough of her to know that she was the kind of person that would keep things from people, just like Zuko. And, like Zuko, it was easy to tell when she was lying.

"No, Admiral Zhao," She said, her voice shaking slightly. "I've told you _everything_…" She glanced towards the door again, where we both knew General Iroh was standing just on the other side. For the most part, however, we were alone in the room, and it was clearly making her uncomfortable.

"Really?" I asked her, and took something out of my armor. I placed it on the table between us. "Then, do you recognize this?"

She looked at it. "No."

I smiled slightly. "You are lying to me, Emma." I watched as her jaw tightened, and my smile grew. "Do you know how I know that?"

"Why don't you tell me?" She asked lightly.

"Because one of my men reports seeing you _using_ this fan when you were onboard Prince Zuko's ship." I informed her, and watched as she closed her eyes briefly. "Now, aren't you curious to know how I came _by_ this fan?" I picked it up and examined it carelessly. "I was surprised, to say the very least, to have a _fan_ thrown at me, on the night two masked strangers infiltrated the Pohuai Stronghold, removing the Avatar from my custody. I had thought that it was two _men_ who committed such treason against the Fire Nation…until I read what was written on the fan I had thrown at me. Do you know why that is?"

"No," She replied, without even opening her eyes. "I wouldn't know what it said, anyway."

"You can't read it?" I asked her.

"No, I can't." She replied, opening her eyes and looking at me quickly. "We don't have much time for such things down south…" She said, referring to where she'd told me she was from, the South Pole.

I, however, did not believe for an instant that she was telling the truth about where she was from. I didn't know if _she_ knew it, but _I_ was well aware of who and what she was. I had been instructed by our great Fire Lord to prepare this girl, if she was who we believed her to be, for her destiny. I supposed now that this was going to include some lessons in literature.

"Very well then," I told her, standing up. I walked around to her side of the table, and handed her the fan, which she took, wordlessly. "I will not tell the Fire Lord – or anyone else who would care to know, for that matter – that you were one of the two people who acted against the Fire Nation at Pohuai. In return, you must agree to become a member of the Fire Nation," I watched her shoulders stiffen. "And learn about our customs and ways. I have been instructed by Fire Lord Ozai to teach you, and we can do it the easy way or the hard way. It's _your_ choice."

She sighed, before standing up and facing me. She was toe-to-toe with me but, since she was a great deal shorter than me, she had to look up at me. There was a strange determination in her eyes all of a sudden, and a look on her face that I couldn't quite read. With her standing so close to me, I could smell the scent of honey and tea on her. To be honest, I hadn't actually noticed it before. It reminded me of something…

"How about this, then," She said, the melodic sound of her voice filling the room. "I'll agree to all but one of your terms, in that I _won't_ become a member of the Fire Nation! In return, I won't tell anyone that it was _you_ who employed the pirates to mess up mine and Zuko's lives, and don't say it wasn't you because it was!" Her eyes were positively blazing now, as gold as the sun and ten times as hot. I noticed that she didn't seem to be afraid of me anymore. "And, I also won't tell anyone that you're planning on messing up the spirits that live at the North Pole…" I froze, just slightly. "I'm warning you, Admiral Zhao," Her voice was low and dangerous now, and her face was pale. "The future does _not_ look bright for you…" She turned, but stopped when I grabbed her wrist. Her skin was cold now, and I knew that her bravado was fast wearing off at the reminder of our encounter before.

"That reminds me," I said slowly, turning her around to face me again. "I still haven't properly _thanked_ you for slapping me that time before…"

I watched the fire in her eyes die, to be replaced by horror. "Wh-what are you going to do?" She stammered.

I smirked at her fear. "I once read somewhere that it was common practice to exchange a kiss for a strike."

She went absolutely rigid then, as I'd known she would. "You wouldn't…" She gasped, attempting to step back, but I grabbed her other wrist, and held tight. She was staring up at me in horror, like she had no idea what to do.

Just then, from behind the door, came General Iroh's voice. "Emma? Is everything alright in there?"

Emma glanced up at me, back at the door, and then at me again. Then, she called: "Yes, Uncle Iroh, I was just coming out now! We can have tea together, if you want!" She yanked her wrists free of me, and I let her go this time.

But, before she walked out of the room, I said to her: "Remember what I said, Emma."

"I will if you will!" She snapped angrily, throwing the door open and then slamming it shut behind her…

O~O~O~O

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I heard the door open, and lifted my head slightly to see my Uncle coming into the secret room on Zhao's ship. It was painful, having to lie here, right on Zhao's own ship, but I was still feeling sore and numb from my brush with death the other day. I would bide my time, and then I would make Zhao pay. Having my Uncle around would help. And…

"He's in here." My Uncle said quietly.

A second, smaller figure came in after my Uncle, who shut the door behind them. I froze, not recognizing who it was. A young woman, surely, she was wearing red Fire Nation robes, and had her hair pulled up into a bun, and adorned with a gold clip shaped like a flame. A small amount of make-up decorated her face, and she wore gold, flame-shaped earrings. Only when the figure opened her mouth, however, did I realized that it was Emma.

"Oh, Zuko, thank God…" She whispered, falling to her knees beside where I lay on a single blanket. She took my hand in her right one, which was bandaged up. Her hazel eyes raked over my injuries, before she turned to Uncle Iroh. "Water…?" She asked him, still whispering. He nodded, and she turned back to me.

"Emma, are you okay?" I asked her, because her hand was shaking.

She looked at me and, for a second, it looked like she was about to tell me something. Then, she just shook her head. "N-no, I'm fine, I just don't like seeing you like this…" Yang Chong, whom I hadn't seen come into the room, crowed softly. "None of us do…we'll make him pay for this, Prince Zuko…" She promised me, as my Uncle came back with the water. "Now, hold still, and let me heal you…"


	17. The Tiny Terror

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The Tiny Terror

_O~O~O~O_

_She yanked her wrists free of me, and I let her go this time._

_But, before she walked out of the room, I said to her: "Remember what I said, Emma."_

_"I will if you will!" She snapped angrily, throwing the door open and then slamming it shut behind her…_

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

_"Emma…"_

_I looked ahead through the pink mist, and saw the comforting figure of Kwan Yin, stretching out her arms to me._

_"My child…do not be afraid…all will be alright…" I hadn't realized I was shaking until she wrapped her arms around me, but at once I was comforted by Mercy's calming spirit. "You will find that everything will be as it should be…as it was written in the legends…"_

_"But…how can it be? I changed the story-line too much!" I exclaimed, despite myself._

_"No…" Kwan Yin was smiling. "You didn't alter it at all…THIS is how it was meant to be…I hope that the animal guide I sent you is proving to be faithful…"_

_"You sent me Yang Chong? Thanks…" I muttered._

_"It was the least I could do, my dear…" She whispered._

_"Kwan Yin…WHY am I here? What's my purpose in this world?"_

_"Emma…"_

O~O~O~O

"Emma, wake up!"

"No!" I threw my arm up in front of me, and struck somebody hard across the nose.

"Aurgh! !" Zhao cried, stumbling back, clutching his bloody nose.

"Oh no!" I cried. _Not again…_

O~O~O~O

"So, the writing on my fan says…" I glanced at it, not wanting to look at Zhao, who was waiting. "_Zhuo Guang_…which means…brilliant light?"

"Was that a guess?"

"No?"

"Well, you got it right." Zhao placed one of the books down in front of me. "Can you read these three paragraphs, and write a responding statement?"

"Yes, and no."

The Admiral looked at me.

"Broken wrist?" I reminded him, waving it in front of me. Admiral Zhao briefly touched the side of his nose, and I winced. "Yeah, that was more your fault than mine…" I glanced at the book. "So…uh…this statement? This response?" I picked up the calligraphy pen, my right hand shaking.

Admiral Zhao's hand suddenly wrapped around mine, not hard but gently, and he began to guide me in my writing. I was so surprised I nearly dropped the pen, but I managed to maintain my composure, at least until I'd finished the paragraph. Then, I cheered (quietly): "Alright, I actually did it! Now…what did I write, exactly?"

Zhao sighed. "Utterly hopeless…" He muttered.

"I'm working on it!" I exclaimed in frustration. "Only the Chinese are supposed to write like this…I mean…uh…"

"The who?"

I was aware of Zhao standing behind me, I could feel his breath on the back of my neck. I gulped. "Umm…the…Chinese are…umm…" _Oh great, now what?_

"Emma," Zhao said carefully, quietly. "You come from a different world, don't you?"

I froze. It gave me away completely. Zhao's hands transferred to my shoulders – he wasn't letting me get away with this one. Trying to keep myself calm, I took a steadying breath, and said to him: "Okay, let's say I _am_ from…another world…how exactly did you draw that conclusion, _Admiral_?"

His grip tightened on my shoulders. "I _knew_ it…" I was surprised to hear the underlying elation in his voice. It scared me slightly. "Ever since I first saw you standing on Zuko's ship…the legends _were_ true…"

"_What_ legends? !" I demanded to know. "How come _everyone_ knows about this but me? !"

His hands were drifting now, his fingers resting on my collar bone. "They didn't tell you? Well…I suppose I will have to tell you…this was a legend passed down through the Fire Nation Royal Family, and to those exclusive enough to hear it. This is the legend of…"

"Admiral Zhao?" A Fire Nation soldier stuck his head into the room. "We are approaching a number of ice-burgs, and require your help to clear a path through them…" He glanced from me to the Admiral, and blinked. "Uh…"

"Oh, very well…" Zhao seemed angry now, as he took his hands off my shoulders, and handed me another book, a thicker one this time, with the Fire Nation insignia on it. "Emma, read this book – it should tell you what you want to know. I expect it read."

"Sir, yes sir!" I saluted sarcastically, and he gave me a Look, before accompanying his soldier out of the room.

I looked down at the book, opened to a random page, and my heart sank. _The entire thing was in Kanji_. "Damn!" I muttered. "I'll have to get someone to help me with this…I wonder if I can find Uncle Iroh…" I didn't know why I hadn't told Uncle Iroh about what Zhao had done to me…I supposed I wanted to keep it between us. Until I was sure I wasn't going to be charged with treason because of it…

O~O~O~O

Walking around the ship, I found that most soldiers were either outside, or in their quarters, and I was sure Uncle Iroh was somewhere with prince Zuko, keeping him hidden and preparing him for what would come when we reached the North Pole.

I was so busy with my thoughts, that I ran into someone.

"Ouch!" A voice said, and I looked down to see someone looking _up_ to me – that doesn't happen very often.

"Oh, I'm sorry kid…" I apologized.

"_Kid_?" The voice sounded too low for a kid's voice. "_Kid_? !" She was obviously Fire Nation, with short dark hair and red eyes. Those eyes were familiar. She glared at me. "I'll teach _you_ who's the kid!" She went to hit me, and I reacted instinctively, blocking her, but then she infused it with fire, and I was forced to dodge.

"I'm sorry!" I exclaimed. _She's a Firebender! How did this happen all of a sudden? ! Who IS this person? !_

"Too late for that!" She yelled, aiming a fire infused kick at me, which I just barely dodged. This person was four inches shorter than me – and totally kicking my tail! Whaaaa! !

A door to my right opened, and Lieutenant Jee hurried out. "Karai!" He exclaimed, turning to face the tiny terror. "Enough of that!"

The little woman immediately relaxed. "Sorry, Uncle Jee."

"Y-you're UNCLE? !" I yelled. Jee turned around to face me. "L-Lieutenant Jee…uh…hi…"

He nodded to me. "Emma, this is my niece, Karai. She's a kitchen hand onboard this ship."

"H-hi?" I stammered.

"Hmm…" She stared at me with her red eyes that were so like her Uncle's. She wore black and red robes, and had a sturdy expression on her face. "I _know_ you're dying to ask me how old I am, so I won't give you the chance, and I'll just tell you – I'm twenty-three."

I blinked. "Uh…umm…of course…yes, I'm sorry, Miss. Karai…"

Her face relaxed. "Just call me Kai…" She motioned to the book under my arm. "What's that?"

"The book Admiral Zhao _wants _me to read, but…" I sighed. "I'm hopeless at this kind of stuff, unless he's actually standing over me…"

"I could help you, if you want…" Her red eyes sparkled. "But…in return…"

"Yes?" I asked.

O~O~O~O

**Iroh's P.O.V:**

"Something is troubling you, Prince Zuko…" I said carefully. "You have been distracted all day…" We were almost at our destination, where my nephew would try again to capture the Avatar, but I could sense that this _wasn't_ what was bothering him. "Could it be…that you are worried about…Emma?"

"No." Zuko replied, too quickly for that to have been the truth. He sighed. "Okay, maybe I _am_…I think she might be the girl from the legend…the legend my Mother used to tell me, back then…"

I paused, before asking him: "What do you intent to do about it?" I didn't want to tell him that it was possible that Zhao had already started to make his move – that would just force Zuko into doing something reckless. He tended to act a lot more recklessly where her safety was concerned.

"I intent to keep her safe, no matter what it takes…she was no idea what's within her," There was an unusual pain in his voice, muffled by the helmet he was wearing to conceal his identity. Keeping him aboard Zhao's own ship was a big risk, but it was one my nephew was willing to take, if it meant capturing the Avatar. "She's so innocent and pure…if people found out who she was; they'd take advantage of her. Why do I even _care_ so much?" He seemed to be talking more to himself than to me. He pounded his fist against the ship wall once, out of frustration. "I've heard stories about her ever since I was a kid, and I _always_ wondered what she'd be like…we don't even know if Emma _is_ the one from the legends…" He sighed. "I hope, for her sake, that she _isn't_…"

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I was dodging the fire Kai was aiming at me, and I could feel the eyes of every soldier on deck burning into us hotter than the flames. It wasn't _exactly_ an Agni Kai, because I couldn't bend fire, but both Kai and I were dressed accordingly. It would have been _freezing_, except the movement kept us both warm. I was _trying_ to get her to move closer to me, so that I could engage her in hand-to-hand combat, but she wasn't letting me. I had to settle on using my fan to deflect some of her more aggressive blows. For someone so short, she was definitely strong-willed. She reminded me of me…

I suddenly saw a wave of fire directed at me and, without thinking, Matrixed my way out of it. I suddenly looked up to see Kai almost _directly_ above me – she had used the fire as a cover! I gasped, flinging my hands out above me, and somehow bringing a wave of water from the ship along with.

My hands suddenly grasped Kai's, as she was frozen half in the now solidified wave above me.

She stared at me, and I stared back at her.

The soldiers on deck began murmuring.

"Guess the cat's outta the bag now…" I whispered, just as Zhao came up on deck. "It's not what it looks like!" I cried, as Yang Chong flew over to us, and began to work to get Kai and me free, as I was lying almost horizontal, with my feet frozen in my own ice. Of Course, when we were eventually freed, I landed on my back on the deck, and Kai landed on top of me. "Oh, thanks, Yang Chong…" We said together.

Uncle Iroh and Lieutenant Jee came up onto the deck at that moment, and both Kai and I looked at them and exclaimed: "Uncle!" Then we glanced at each other, and started giggling. Some of the men on deck exchanged somewhat amused glances, as Kai and I laughed about our situation, but I couldn't help but notice that Zhao's eyes were thoughtful.

O~O~O~O

"Oh, this?" Kai and I were sitting in my room, side-by-side on the bed with cups of jasmine tea and the book Admiral Zhao had given me. "These are legends passed down throughout the Fire Nation. My Mother used to read to me from this, only a select few outside of the royal family can know it." She sounded smug.

I gave her a sideways look. "Sooo…how'd you end up working here on Zhao's ship, anyway Kai?"

Her red eyes turned guarded. She shifted uncomfortably. "Umm…my parents were killed on the front lines in a battle…" (I gasped). "So, I came to work on Zhao's ship. Uncle Jee is my only other relative, but he couldn't take me on because he was helping the banished prince…"

I nodded. I could sense that she didn't want to talk about it. Being the only girl on a ship must've been hard. I knew _that_ feeling. "So…is there a legend in here about someone from another world?"

Kai glanced at me, and then brightened. "Oh, you mean the Legend Of _Wunü_ - of the Priestess?"

"Yes!" I exclaimed, recognizing the word straight away. "The priestess! So, she came from another world?"

Kai nodded. "Mmhmm. She was said to come to this world wrapped up in pink light, and appear only in times of trouble."

_Aka, NOW…_ I thought, but didn't interrupt. I had a scary thought that I may in fact _be_ the priestess everyone was talking about. I _did_ have to ask, however: "What exactly _is_ a priestess, Kai?"

"A female spirit medium, basically," Kai replied promptly. She sounded like she was reciting from the closed book, like she knew it by heart. "She's very in-tune with the Spirit World," (I remembered seeing Aang riding Fang through the Spirit World, and gulped)."And acts as one who can convey messages from divine entities, as such. She's a shrine-maiden, and a virgin." (I blushed). "She's a very respected figure in society, like sages and such."

"So…what kind of stuff can she do?" I wondered. _Hey, this might be the kind of stuff_ I_ can do_!

Kai tilted her head to one side, her red eyes glowing like rubies. "Well, they're frequently ascribed with magical or supernatural powers, similar to bending but also different. It includes divination, things like that. Oh, and she's _very_ skilled at martial arts. Kinda like you." The young woman added, as an afterthought.

"Kinda like me." I agreed, and then I gasped. 'No, wait, NOT like me! You take that back!"

Kai laughed. "Just stating a fact. Did General Iroh teach you how to fight?"

"Him too," I nodded. "And, also, a warrior from the Earth Kingdom named Suki…she didn't know I was on board Zuko's ship, though, she just saw me get "kidnapped"…" I made quotation marks in the air with my fingers. "By Prince Zuko…" I sighed.

Kai gave me a sympathetic look, that also had a touch of frustration mixed in with it. "I can see that you miss him. So, he was your boyfriend?"

"_No_!" I exclaimed.

A smile lit up Kai's face. "But, you liked him?" She asked slyly.

I gulped. "M-maybe…no…I think I just annoyed him half the time. I held up his search for the Avatar…"

"Yeah, that…" Kai's eyes clouded over. "I think the world's pretty messed up at the moment…"

I nodded. "Yeah, me too…I told Uncle Iroh that, but…you know…what can you do? It's not like we're the Avatar."

Kai nodded. "That's right…otherwise, we'd be able to bend more than just fire and water, respectively…" She jumped off the bed.

"Hey, what about the rest of the story?" I wanted to know. "Zhao wants me to read this thing, but I can't do it by myself!" I thumped the book's cover.

Kai shrugged. "You'll have to wait until morning, Emma. I want to have a shower before all the other people on board this ship. You know how it is."

"Yeah, I know." I agreed. With her back to me, I even noticed how alike we looked from the back. "Good night, Kai."

"Goodnight, Emma." She responded, making her way out the door. "Goodnight, Yang Chong." She added, and my phoenix cooed to her. He looked a little bit bedraggled. I wondered if his burning day was drawing nearer…


	18. The Dawn Of Destiny

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

The Dawn Of Destiny

_O~O~O~O_

_Well, they're frequently ascribed with magical or supernatural powers, similar to bending but also different. It includes divination, things like that. Oh, and she's very skilled at martial arts._

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I woke up late morning the next day, and was tired. I hadn't had a very good night's sleep. I'd been dreaming about young virgins dressed in white (how had I known that they were virgins?), running through a land of ankle high water, and one by one they were shot down and their dresses turned red.

So, I was a little on edge that day, and even _more_ so when I discovered that today was D-Day – the day the Fire Nation would launch its assault on the North Pole Water Tribes.

Uncle Iroh explained it to me, as I ate a hurried breakfast.

Between this, I managed to ask him if he'd seen Kai.

Uncle Iroh looked away from me, out to sea. "Emma…" He said, quietly, which was hard to do, as things were starting to get…somewhat _chaotic_, to my untrained-war eyes. "Miss. Karai…left, this morning…along with Lieutenant Jee and the other men who were onboard our ship before…"

I gasped. "Kai left? Just like that? But…but…_why_?" I wailed.

"My guess is that she did not wish to be involved with the attack on the North Pole…" Iroh said softly, not meeting my gaze.

"That…makes sense…" I whispered, thinking about her and my conversation last night. "Still, she could've at least said goodbye before taking off like that…"

Uncle Iroh patted my hand. "Everything will be alright, Emma…"

I nodded wordlessly. I was dreading this day. Today, many people would die. Many would be injured. And, I didn't know what would happen to _me_. Or to Zuko.

O~O~O~O

**Katara's P.O.V:**

Aang had secretly been teaching me everything he'd been learning from Master Pakku for a week now and, contrary to what had occurred with the Waterbending Scroll, it was _me_ who was progressing quickly. We felt a little bad about defying Master Pakku but, then again, he was a sexist jerk, so I didn't mind _too_ much. Learning Waterbending, and helping Aang with his, is what I'd set out to do. I was sure of it.

I was watching Aang spar against one of Master Pakku's students, and I wanted to yell out: _Lean further to the left!_ I didn't, though and, instead, looked out towards the sea, and then up at the sky.

As I did, I saw Appa go sailing past, with my brother and the Princess on his back. I smiled a little. My big brother was in L-O-V-E! I knew then that coming to the North Pole had been beneficial, despite Master Sexist-Jerk. Learning how to use my Waterbending to heal others (and not just myself) had been a good learning experience, too.

As I stared up at the sky, something black and dusty fell onto my forehead. "Huh?" I reached up and brushed it away. It was something that reminded me of soot. As I looked around, more black snow fell from the sky. In fact, it _was_ soot, and it fell all around us.

It could only mean one thing.

The Fire Nation was here.

At the instant I grasped this fact, the warning bells tolled…

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I stood on the deck of the ship, staying very close to Uncle Iroh, and making sure Yang Chong stayed on my shoulder, as Zhao told us that we were in the process of writing history, as we would be destroying the Water Tribe civilization.

"History is not always kind to its subjects, Admiral Zhao." My Uncle warned the Admiral. His words, mingled with the grey soot that now surrounded our ships, made the whole situation seem frightening and surreal…in a _real_ sort of way…

"This will _not_ be like your legendary failure at Ba Sing Sei, General Iroh." Zhao assured him.

"For your sake, I hope that it is not." Iroh agreed.

Zhao seemed to contemplate something, and then stated: "Your son was killed in that battle, wasn't he?"

I tensed.

"Yes, that's right…" Iroh replied, after a pause.

"A shame, really…" Zhao didn't sound like he'd meant that. "To lose one's son, in the heat of such a battle…and then to withdraw from said battle…"

I was shaking slightly with anger by that stage, and both the older men noticed it.

"General Iroh, prepare for the first strike," Zhao told him, and then looked at me. "Emma, I need to speak with you."

I cast Iroh a miserable glance, and then followed Zhao below deck.

O~O~O~O

"One's destiny," Zhao said, speaking very quietly, with his back to me. I stood at the door, and waited. "Is prewritten, and cannot be changed. It is set in stone."

"No, you're wrong," I said quietly. He turned to face me. "One's destiny is determined by one's own actions, and the way he treats others. He can choose to follow through with his plan…or walk away from the fight."

"I won't run from this," Zhao informed me. "It is my _destiny_ to kill the Moon Spirit, and help lead the Fire Nation to victory."

"Oh, never mind that _I_ won't be able to bend anymore!" I snapped, and Yang Chong gave a feeble caw of agreement. He really picked a lousy day to burn.

"One person's bending is meaningless, in the greater plan for our world." Zhao told me. "You will make this sacrifice, for your nation."

"I'm _not_ a member of the Fire Nation!" I told him, angrily. "I come from a world where bending doesn't even _exist_! I just _got_ bending, and now you're gonna _take_ it from me? I'd rather give up my non-existent ability to read and write in your language!"

"After this, you will not _need_ to bend water," Zhao informed me. "_You_ will embrace your own destiny, as will I."

"And what, pray tell, _is_ my destiny?" I muttered.

Zhao's red eyes glittered. "To become the Fire Lord's priestess, and serve the Fire Nation by acting as a bridge between it and the Fire Spirits."

"You don't care about the other spirits, do you, Zhao?" I asked quietly, shaking slightly. My voice changed, slightly, and became even more melodic, but also reverberating. "Water, Earth, Air and Fire…all must live with the others, to co-exist harmoniously. Without balance, all is chaos. With chaos, there is no life – only darkness. Your element, fire, is strong, yes. It is powerful, beautiful and certainly a proud and respectable element. But, its image has been tainted, by this war against the world. Fire is meant to represent _life_, and inner strength, from the sun. The rest of the world sees it as destructive, painful and _evil_. Is this really the path Fire Lord Ozai wishes his nation to walk? Is this what his forefathers wanted?" There was a dull pink glow behind my eyes, and I felt the familiar tingling energy well up inside of me. "No matter how _powerful_ a nation, no matter how large, a king without compassion cannot hope to have empathy with and truly understand his people. The world _cannot_ live without love! If you partake in this battle, Admiral Zhao, then you _will_ be severely punished by the Ocean Spirit, La, and the Waterbenders, enraged at the sacrifice of their Princess during this battle." I was revealing _way_ too much by that stage, but I was desperately trying one last ditch effort to stop this siege. "You will be drowned, and I…" I broke off suddenly, the pink disappearing from around me. "I…don't want that to happen. No matter how much I _don't_ like you, I can't stand by and see all of this happen."

Zhao looked a little bit startled by my long, Princess Sheeta-styled speech, but he recovered, and looked at me for a long time, before saying: "You can…and you _will_…" (King Uther-styled). "This is destiny…and you will accompany me as I carry it out."

"If you try to hurt the Spirits…I _will_ stop you…" I whispered.

He laughed softly, mockingly. "I would enjoy seeing you try, Priestess…I really would…" He left me to my thoughts.

Did I _really_ care about what happened to Zhao?

Did I _truly_ believe in all that stuff I had just said?

Was I _actually_ going to try and stop the Fire Nation from trying to win?

I knew the answers to all three of those questions…

O~O~O~O

I looked into Zuko's hazel eyes.

"Let me come with you." I whispered.

"No." Zuko shook his head. "It's too dangerous."

"It'll be more dangerous if I stay here," I told him firmly, reaching out to grab his hand. "Trust me, Zuko – there's going to be a tidal wave."

Zuko and Iroh exchanged a glance.

"It's true," I whispered, and then we all three of us heard a wheezing cough. We all looked around, and saw Yang Chong perched on the edge of a steel crate, and looking like he was about to fall off at any given second.

"What's _his_ problem?" Zuko wanted to know, tying his sash around his waist. He was outfitted all in white, to help him blend in to the snow. I, in contrast, was wearing my black robes that looked all too Fire Nation-y.

"He's reaching his burning day," I replied, a little worriedly. "He'll burst into flames, then be reborn from the ashes. I didn't know it happened so soon."

"The time varies." Iroh spoke up, handing me a rucksack-like bag with my things in it. "Prince Zuko," He went on. "_Please_ take Emma with you. I won't be able to watch out for her, and she may be of some use to you." They both glanced at me, and I pretended to be very busy adjusting my pack on my back.

"Uncle," Zuko said softly, obviously trying to play on the illusion that I was not there. "I _don't_ think this would be a good idea, because of what we talked about…" He said, meaningfully.

_Huh? What did they talk about?_ I picked up Yang Chong, and looked him in the eyes. He looked _dreadful_.

"But, my nephew, consider this – she already knows what is going to happen, so having her with you could prove beneficial." Uncle Iroh told Zuko.

"I'm going anyway," I spoke up, and they both looked up at me. "If it's any help…"

"It's not," Zuko told me. "And, _you're_ not." He climbed into the rowboat, and gave me a meaningful look. "Emma, _stay here_." His hazel eyes were full of the sense that this conversation was _over_…

I stood on the edge of the ship, and looked down as the rowboat was lowered. Zuko looked back up at me.

"I care about you, you know," I called to him, on impulse. "I care about what happens to you and…and…" Tears filled my eyes. I touched the Water Tribe pendant around my neck. Uncle Iroh put a hand on my shoulder. Together, we watched as the rowboat hit the water softly. "_Please_ don't leave me…" I begged.

Zuko looked back up at me and, for half a second, I thought that he was going to reconsider. Then, the moment past, and he began rowing towards the snowy shore.

I sighed. "Why does he keep doing this? He kisses me…and then he wants nothing more to do with me…he was my first, you know…" I turned, and rested my head on Iroh's shoulder. "I can't believe I thought more of it…"

Iroh put an arm around my back, and didn't say anything.

O~O~O~O

I watched, from the deck, as the first fireball was launched.

"So…it begins…" I whispered. "The siege of the north…"


	19. A Kiss Before Dying

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

CHAPTER NINETEEN

A Kiss Before Dying

_O~O~O~O_

_"If you try to hurt the Spirits…I will stop you…" I whispered._

_He laughed softly, mockingly. "I would enjoy seeing you try, Priestess…I really would…" _

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

By the next day, the Fire Benders were moving in, and the Waterbenders were having trouble subduing them. Zhao, Iroh, Yang Chong and I watched this from the ship, and I couldn't help but worry about Zuko, as well as Aang and Katara and the others. This was ten times worse than it had been in the TV show and movie and, yet, I couldn't help but admire both sides. Not just for their impressive display of military tactics (and awesome uniforms), but also because they were both standing proud for their own respective nations (well, most of them were). You couldn't hate them for that.

Zhao had just finished telling Iroh about his plan to remove the Waterbender's spiritual source of power – the moon – as a factor, and Iroh was just telling him that messing with the spirits was not a good idea, when there was an interruption.

_Whoa, killing intent!_ I thought, stepping to the side, just as someone dressed in a Fire Nation uniform ran past me, yelling about how he was going to kill Zhao.

"Hahn!" I exclaimed, having completely forgotten about him up until now.

Without really caring, Zhao grabbed Hahn and threw him overboard but, on an impulse, I rushed forward, reached over the railing and grabbed his hand.

The arrogant Water Tribe soldier looked up at me with shocked, confused eyes.

"I couldn't stop them from attacking your home, the least I can do is save you." I explained, a little breathless from trying to hold onto him. "You know…for…Princess Yue's sake…" I said, by way explanation, even though it didn't really make much sense.

Zhao suddenly came up beside me, grabbed Hahn's shoulder, and yanked him back onboard roughly. "Good idea, Emma," He said, keeping an extremely firm hold on Hahn's arm. "We'll use him to take us to the place we need to go."

"That's not why I saved him!" I protested, but I was ignored.

"I'll never tell you Firebender's anything!" Hahn cried.

Zhao conjured up some fire, and held it very close to Hahn's face. "Yes…you _will_…"

Hahn cringed. "O…okay…" He stammered.

I glared at him, and moved a water whip up from the sea and used it to slap his face. "Some Water Tribe soldier _you_ are!" I exclaimed.

"What about _you_? !" Hahn yelled angrily. "You're a Waterbender, yet you're aboard a Fire Nation ship!"

"What makes you think I _want_ to be here, Hahn? !" I got right up in his face. "This isn't even my war!"

Iroh put a hand on my shoulder, to calm me down, and pulled me back. I allowed myself to be led back, but continued to glare at Hahn as he struggled in Zhao's grip.

Zhao said to him: "I'd love to leave you to my little Priestess' mercy but, unfortunately, we have other matters to take care of. We are going fishing."

O~O~O~O

**Katara's P.O.V:**

I was fighting Prince Zuko, in an effort to stop him from capturing Aang. I was now immensely glad that I'd taken secret lessons from Aang, defying the customs of the North Pole Water Tribe. How was I supposed to protect Aang if I didn't know how to fight?

However, once the sun came up, Zuko's strength increased. He smirked, and began to attack me even more fiercely than before, and I was hard-pressed to try and protect Aang.

Just then, as I was sent flying back from a blast of fire, Zuko caught sight of the red ribbon from Emma, that I was wearing around my neck in a new necklace fashioned by Aang. He froze. "Where did you get that ribbon from, little girl?" He asked me, in a strange voice.

I struggled to get back up, feeling bruises begin to form already. "Wh-why do _you_ care? What's it to you?"

He responded by sending more blast of fire at me, and that was when I was sent back into a tree and knocked out.

When I came too, my brother and Yue were there, but Aang and Zuko were _both_ gone…

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I gasped. I was in the smaller boat, heading to shore along with Uncle Iroh, Hahn, Zhao and a few other Firebenders. I'd just had an absolutely _horrible_ feeling, and realized that I needed to be elsewhere, but how could I get to there?

There was always an answer…

"Aang!" I exclaimed, and the pink light appeared behind my eyes. I raised my head up to the sky, and felt the pink spirit of mine leave my body, and then I was flying.

O~O~O~O

**Iroh's P.O.V:**

We all heard Emma say the Avatar's name, and then a pink symbol glowed on her forehead. Throwing her head up towards the sky, a pink light jettisoned from her, and flew towards the shore.

Emma's body, now devoid of her internal spirit, closed its eyes, although the symbol still continued to glow. It was pink, like the light. I caught the body as it fell, and Yang Chong clucked worriedly.

The Fire Nation soldiers and the Water Tribe captive looked stunned. Zhao, on the other hand, leaned back and closed his eyes briefly.

"The Fire Nation Priestess…" I heard him mutter. "Truly…she will be worthy to stand beside _him_…"

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I could see all sorts of shapes and designs and colours in front of me within the black, yet the one I wanted was bright blue, like the summer sky. I reached ahead of me in the darkness, and felt two sets of hands guiding me. One pair belonged to Kwan Yin, I could tell from the immediate comfort I got from her spirit being near mine.

The other brought great comfort as well, but also sadness, and I tried to reassure her. "It'll be okay…I'll protect them both…they'll be fine…" I promised. My heart was pounding in its spiritual form, and my emotions poured from me like a river.

With the two spirits guiding me, I was able to locate Aang's spirit within the mass of black and colours, and reached out to him. As soon as I reached him, I grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "Aang! Aang, _wake up_! Please, Aang, the world still needs you! Wake up, _Aang_!"

There was an explosion of colour, then I was engulfed with water, bluish-green, and surging around me in an ocean. I struggled for air, trying to bend, until I realized that you _couldn't_ bend in the Spirit World. The water dragged me down, towards the earth, which opened up and I was dragged in. Heavy brown rocks tumbled all around me.

Further and further I fell, with the water cascading around me, until I was able to flip over onto my stomach, and saw myself rushing towards a land that was on fire.

"_Oh no_! !" I screamed, trying to move my body around to save myself.

At the last possible second, a hand grabbed mine, and together, we landed on the ground, the flames blowing out as soon as our feet were grounded.

I looked to my left, and saw Aang, the Avatar, looking over at me. His body glowed faintly blue and, as I looked down at our joined hands, I noticed that _mine_ was glowing faintly pink.

I looked back at Aang.

"Ready to go back?" He asked me.

I nodded. "When you wake up, Prince Zuko's there…don't hurt him."

"I'll try." Aang promised, and we let go of each others hands.

O~O~O~O

When I came to, it was to a scene that I did _not_ wish to face. I was lying on my back in the grass, staring straight up at the sky, which had turned red.

My heart thudded painfully in my chest, as I sat up, and looked around at the Spirit Oasis. I felt faint, and weakened all of a sudden, but also full of some strange conviction.

Zhao was there, holding the white koi fish – the Moon Spirit. Iroh and the other Firebenders were there too, but I didn't see any sign of Hahn. I guess they'd let him go…or killed him.

Yue, Sokka and Katara were there as well, but no Aang. Or Zuko.

I looked at Yang Chong, who was perched beside me, and whispered: "What's going on…?"

"Zhao…" Uncle Iroh was speaking. I had never heard that tone in his voice before – it was frightening. "If you do _anything_ to harm the spirit, then I will unleash ten-fold the force against you!"

Zhao looked at him, and then released the spirit back into the water, returning the sky to its original colour.

I, however, knew better what was about to happen, and stood up fast, running towards the spirit pool.

"Zhao, please, _don't do it_!" I shouted, as he aimed the fire in his fist at Tui.

But, it was too late.

I felt it, all throughout my body, when Tui was killed. My very spirit seemed to choke up, and the essence of my Waterbending was torn from my soul. I fell forward onto all fours, clutching at my chest in pain. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Princess Yue fall, light-headed, into Sokka's arms.

Tears pooled in my eyes, but I was seemingly unable to cry, as I stared ahead through blurred eyes at the spirit pool.

My fists clenched at the grass, as the ground under me began to shake, and that was when Uncle Iroh attacked.

It was the most frightening and formidable I had _ever_ seen the former General, as the fire that arced around him was burning blue, and his hazel eyes were filled with rage.

He easily defeated the Firebenders with Zhao, but the Admiral himself managed to escape.

The ground was still shaking slightly, as I tried to get up and, as soon as I stood up, the earth was still.

The sky was still red, though, and I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the Firebenders were now overpowering the Waterbenders.

As I staggered towards the spirit pool, I remembered something, and looked at Katara. "Katara, Aang's in danger!"

"Do you know where he is?" The Water Tribe girl asked me, anxiously.

A pink beam of light appeared from my hands, pointing north-east. "I think I can find him."

O~O~O~O

**Katara's P.O.V:**

Emma and I ran across the balconies, and stopped short. We stared in horror at the scene before us.

"This…this is horrible…" I whispered, hardly able to watch the Waterbenders overpowered by the Firebenders, but unable to tear my gaze away. Above us, the sky burned red. Everywhere, were screams of pain and the sounds of destruction. "The Firebenders…how could they _do_ this…?"

Emma's pink hands gripped the railing. "I _told_ him…" She muttered, her eyes bright. "I told them _all_…" She looked at me. "Come on!" We raced in the direction the light from her hands was pointing.

I wasn't sure how or why Emma was here, but I was glad to see her. I needed some confidence now, and she was here to help us, I was sure of it. She was on our side…

We found Aang, locked in battle with Prince Zuko.

"Aang!" I shouted, grabbing his arm and dragging him out of the way of one of Zuko's fire attacks.

Emma, meanwhile, got herself in between us and Zuko, her back to us and her arms held out protectively on either side of her. Her hands had stopped glowing pink, but now her voice burned with intensity.

"Zuko, _stop_ this!" She commanded, and he only slightly relaxed his stance. His eyes were full of shock though, and…betrayal?

"Emma…why are you doing this?" He asked her quietly.

"Because this is _wrong_," She stated clearly. "This is causing _everyone_ pain – me, you, and everyone else involved! You _can't_ truly believe that what your Father's done is right!"

"What would _you_ know? !" He snapped, and she drew back slightly, like she'd just been slapped. "Emma, you hold me back at every given turn, and you're doing it again! I should have left you on Kyoshi! _Get out of the way_!"

"_No_!" She shouted, tears choking her voice. "_You've played with my feelings for too long! I won't be kept prisoner anymore, not by you, or Zhao, or ANYBODY_!"

With a yell, Zuko directed two fire punches at her, and the fire was blue. "_Fine then_!"

Emma gasped, and somehow managed to deflect the fire…oh, she had her fan.

What followed next was one of the worst battles I've ever seen, since Emma was clearly upset and outmatched, but the martial arts skills she was using were enough to get her through. Zuko didn't seem to want to hurt her but, when she got him close enough, she managed to do some slight damage to him.

"I didn't _want_ this!" Emma yelled. "I only want this war to end, Zuko! I can't _do_ this anymore!"

I thought, judging by her Fire Nation clothes and the way that they were treating each other, she must've been a prisoner aboard his ship. Poor Emma…

He directed a wave of fire at her as she jumped back, and she gasped again and threw her hands up. What happened next, none of us expected, but the earthen ceiling caved in between her and Zuko, giving us the chance to escape.

Emma was sobbing silently as she ran, and told us to go on without her, because she had something else to do.

Just then, the red sky turned dark again, and became blue.

The full moon glittered silvery, and I had the sudden thought that something wonderful – yet terrible – must've just happened.

"Ooh, looks like the Waterbending's back on…" Emma whispered, and then took off in another direction without another word.

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

Pain and hurt echoed in my chest, as my heart pounding along with my running. I was running in the direction that I knew I needed to go, my heart and spirit were telling me to go there.

Around me, I could hear the sounds of the Waterbenders regaining power, and pushing the Firebenders back out of their city. I myself felt my own powers returning to me, and said a silent prayer of thanks to Princess Yue, the _new_ Moon Spirit.

Just then, a huge tidal wave went surging towards the Fire Navy ships and, with a rush of relief, I was glad Kai and the others were safe.

I arrived on the bridge, to find Admiral Zhao, all alone.

"Zhao…"

He turned to face me. "Priestess…" He crossed the bridge to the middle and grabbed my arm. "We're leaving…we'll go back to the Fire Nation…"

"I can't!" I exclaimed, anxiously. "Let me go, Zhao, I didn't come here to go with you!" I was painfully aware that I looked nothing short of a Fire Nation person, with my over-robes and hazel eyes. "I'm leaving on my own!"

"No, you're not!" Zhao said but, just then, he seemed to become aware of something else. He was looking right into my eyes, searching for something. At last, he muttered: "I thought that it was you…but it wasn't…" I thought he was talking about the whole priestess thing but, just then, he went on: "Last night…maybe it's just as well…you can still serve the Fire Lord as a priestess…I won't be around to see it, though…" He added, and I gasped, despite myself.

"What? ! Why not? ! Zhao, what are you…?" I was cut off abruptly, however, when he leaned down and kissed me.

My eyes were open wide in shock, but his were closed, as if he was savoring one final moment. As this was happening, I felt the essence of the spirits shift, and realized what was going on. In the back of my mind, I thought about how he (and Iroh) had stopped the fire from hitting me and Yang Chong that day, and how he'd taught me to read and write. In that one final instance, I realized that he was…redeemed…

Zhao suddenly let go of me, and looked into my eyes. "I'm sorry, Priestess…Emma…please, embrace your destiny and serve the Fire Lord…for me…" He then tore off my over-robes, revealing only the white ones underneath, and pushed me into the river.

"Zhao-!" My cry was cut off with a mouthful of water, just as Zhao was lifted up in a sphere of water from the four Waterbenders who had just arrived on the scene.

With my eyes wide, I was unable to tear my gaze away, as the final essence of life left Zhao's body, and he died.

As I finally let the river carry me away, my mind was a blur of shock and pain. I'd just seen someone die. I'd betrayed Prince Zuko. Zhao had died to save me, for the sake of the Fire Nation, and for my own as well. Zuko probably hated me by now, and I felt a hole tear itself apart in my heart. My life was a mess, and I let the water wash over me into a swirl of blackness, because that was easier…

O~O~O~O

I was not allowed to have my blackness, however, as someone plucked me out of the river.

"A life for a life, or something like that, Enma…"

"Hahn…put me back down…I wanna drown…" I tried to push away from him, but more strong arms came out to support me. "Nooo…let me go…please…" Tears fell from my eyes, and the water lapped up unnaturally around us, as I struggled to open my eyes.

I caught sight of the Waterbenders and Water Tribe peoples, hurrying to try and help me, but I didn't _want_ their help. They'd just killed someone right before my eyes. They were no better than the Firebenders!

"Emma!" Katara was running through the crowd towards me, followed by Aang. "Emma, stop!" Both of them grabbed my arms.

"Emma, it's okay!" Aang cried, as I struggled to break free.

"No, it's not! I just saw someone die!" I cried, tears cascading down my face, as the pink light swirled with the water around me. "I can't _do_ this anymore, I don't _want_ this to be my war!"

I suddenly felt myself beginning to vanish, into pink light, and I caught a glimpse of the games room at home. The TV was still frozen in position, showing prince Zuko's face (well, Dev Patel's, but _anyway_…). In that one instant, I wanted to see _him_ again, and continue trying to change _both_ of our lives. I _couldn't_ leave it like this – he was _important_ to me and, whether I liked it or not, the war was a part of _both_ our lives now!

"Emma!" Katara shouted.

"Emma, come back!" Aang was still trying to hang onto me. They were fading – was I going back!

"_No! No, I changed my mind, I wanna stay! Please, don't take me back! I SAID **STOP**_! !" I screamed out that last part and then, with a slight crackle of electricity, I reappeared wholly back in the Avatar world, staring around at all the shocked faces that surrounded me.

Katara was motionless, staring at me in shock. "What…what _are_ you?" She asked me, finally.

I _wanted_ to answer her but, just then, the blackness that I'd asked for before came and found me…


	20. Water From The Moon

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

CHAPTER TWENTY

Water From The Moon

_O~O~O~O_

_As I finally let the river carry me away, my mind was a blur of shock and pain. I'd just seen someone die. I'd betrayed Prince Zuko. Zhao had died to save me, for the sake of the Fire Nation, and for my own as well. Zuko probably hated me by now, and I felt a hole tear itself apart in my heart._

O~O~O~O

**Aang's P.O.V:**

I stayed by Emma's side the entire night, and all through the next day as well. She was in a small room near where we'd been staying, and I'd offered to keep guard over her. The elders were stunned at the pink light she'd had, and how she'd almost vanished. I don't think they trusted her.

She'd saved my life, and I could sense that there was a deep, lonely pain in her heart that probably involved Prince Zuko. She was lost and confused, but had decided to accept her difficult destiny anyway. I admired her for that, whoever she was, and knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was a good person. I felt a strong connection with her, and trusted her almost completely.

That's probably why I accidentally fell asleep, but I awoke the next morning to see her slipping silently out of the room.

I decided to silently follow her.

She ended up leading me back to the Spirit Oasis, where she stooped down on the grass and began talking to something.

Curious, I crept closer, and saw that she was leaning over a small pile of ash. Poking its beak out of the ash was a small red bird, scrawny and scraggly-looking, but Emma was cooing to it softly, and then she began singing.

I listened, with rapt attention.

"_Yeah, all the things that you are, beautifully broken, alive in my heart…and know, that you are everything, let your heart sing it tonight, and light up the stars…all that you are…oh I feel, all the faint morning light filled with hope, cause' you're here in my life…_"

As soon as she'd sung that, the first rays of morning light filled the Spirit Oasis, and Emma turned, jumping when she saw me standing there.

"Sorry," I apologized, smiling sheepishly and coming to stand beside her. "What _is_ that thing?"

"A baby phoenix, the same one as before," She replied calmly, scooping him up into her hands, and then picking up her rucksack. "And now…I have to find Katara and Master Pakku…"

"Why?" I asked, surprised at the change of subject.

"You'll see." She replied.

I followed her, feeling mystified.

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I found Katara and Master Pakku and, for some reason, he was grilling her. As Aang and I got closer, we discovered it was because Master Pakku had found out from Hahn that Katara had been learning to fight from Aang, in secret.

"Uh oh…" Aang muttered, going quickly to stand by Katara whilst I glared at Hahn. So did Sokka, whom was standing nearby.

"It is nothing short of _unspeakable_!" The Waterbending Master said, angrily.

"What's _unspeakable_," I called, and they all turned to face me. "Is that you wouldn't teach Katara how to fight in the first place, Master Pakku!" I wrenched off my rucksack and handed it and Yang Chong to a startled Sokka. "Here, hold these!" I stomped over to stand between Master Pakku and Aang and Katara. I reached up, and undid the Water Tribe necklace from around my neck, facing Master Pakku. I held it out to him. "Do you recognize this pendant, sir?" I held it in front of his face.

His blue eyes examined it, and then he looked startled. "Wh-where did you _get_ this?" He asked me quietly, reaching out a hand to touch the blue disc with the water insignia on it.

I nodded over my shoulder to Katara. "It's _her_ family heirloom, given to her by her Mother, Kya, whom received it from _her_ Mother…Kanna." I watched in satisfaction as Master Pakku's eyes widened in recognition, before turning to Katara and smiling at her. "You don't know it, but this necklace was carved for your Grandmother – it was a betrothal necklace," Katara gasped. So did Sokka. "The man she was betrothed to carved this as a symbol of his affection and adulation for her, but she did not wish to partake in the Northern Water Tribe's customary bindings. Like you and me, she though them oppressing towards women (which they are). She fled to the Southern Water Tribe, seeking a new beginning…" I made to hand the necklace back to Katara, but she did not take it.

Instead, she asked me: "How…how did you know all that?"

I blushed, embarrassed. "Uh…well…I kinda…come from…another world…" I murmured the last part, but they all heard me.

"You WHAT? !" Sokka exclaimed. "How can that be true?" He looked down at Yang Chong. "Is this true?" The baby phoenix chirped in response. "Greeeaaat…" Sokka drawled sarcastically.

I looked right into Katara's sapphire blue eyes, and held out the necklace in my right hand, which had been re-bandaged after the most recent battle. "I promise you, I'm not lying or anything…I've heard stories about this world from the world I come from. Lady Kwan Yin, the Lady Of mercy, sent me here to do something…I think I have to try and help people, somehow…I just want this war to end…" My eyes filled with tears. "Too many people have suffered for Fire Lord Ozai's avarice…"

Katara nodded, her own blue eyes a little too bright. "I agree…" She reached up, and undid the red ribbon around her neck. It had a yin-yang on it that suspiciously resembled mine, and that was when I realized that it _was_ mine. I hadn't even realized that it was missing, which just goes to show how observant I'm _not_… "Here…I found your necklace yesterday, and Aang crafted it onto your ribbon for you…I kept it for you. Is…is it special to you?"

I nodded, as we clasped hands for a moment and then exchanged necklaces. "Yes…it is…it came with me from my world…it reminds me that there's _always_ light in the darkness…" We smiled at each other, and put our necklaces back on.

Then, I turned to Master Pakku. "Master Pakku, I'm sorry for getting involved, but I think you and Katara should talk…or something…" I blushed. "Maybe you should go see Kanna…I mean, Gran-Gran…or…just go to the South Pole?" I finished, looking down.

Master Pakku's voice was thoughtful as he said: "Perhaps I _will_…Kanna's Granddaughter…I can't believe…" He sighed.

"But, what about my Waterbending?" Aang wanted to know.

"Katara's gotten a lot better since the last time I saw her," I smiled at her. "She fought off Prince Zuko, who's been fighting for _years_." I tried not to think about my _own_ fight with the banished Prince. It was just too painful. "She protected Aang, when no one else could…"

"_Thank you_…" Katara mouthed to me.

Master Pakku said: "_Did_ she now? Well then, Aang, I guess you'll just have to get used to calling Katara 'Master Katara'." He smiled.

Aang's eyes widened, and Katara's face lit up in a grin.

"Thank you, Master Pakku…" The both bowed.

"That's it? !" Hahn exclaimed. "No punishment? ! Master Pakku, they _both_ defied Northern Water Tribe customs!" He was glaring at us all.

"I _knew_ I should've let you drown…" I muttered darkly, just as Yang Chong looked up from Sokka's arms, and coughed a whole lot of ash and soot into Hahn's face. Sokka laughed openly, and the rest of us smiled a little as Hahn ran off, cursing.

"I suppose we'll be heading to the Earth Kingdom to find you an Earthbending teacher." Katara said to Aang, whom nodded happily, still grinning at Hahn's misfortune. I was smiling too, thinking about Toph…

"And, what about you?" Katara turned to me. "Where will _you_ go?"

"M-me?" I stammered. "Umm…jeez, I hadn't thought about it…I'm free now, I can go wherever I want…I still have to find out why I'm here…" Aang's flying lemur, Momo, flew down onto my shoulder, and twittered cheerfully. "Oh, hey…" I petted him, and he twittered in my ear. He was so cute!

"I know!" Aang exclaimed, like it was the most obvious thing ever. "Why don't you come with us, Emma? !"

I was startled. "Wh-what? ! Y-you mean…go with you guys on _your_ quest…" _Oh, great, MORE quests…_

Aang's face was lit up, and his grayish-brown eyes were alight, as he exclaimed: "Yeah! It'll be fun! You guys don't mind, do you?" He turned to Katara, whom shook her head and smiled. "Sokka?" Aang looked over at Katara's older brother, whom smirked.

"Yeah, let her come…this bird's priceless!" Sokka exclaimed.

Yang Chong chirped in agreement.

_Nice to see he's so upset about Yue's death…I guess he's just trying not to think about it, like I'M trying to put the bad thoughts out of MY mind…_ Things like Zhao's death, Kai's disappearance, and betraying Zuko were going to take some time to get over, and I was going to miss Uncle Iroh terribly. Heading out with the Gaang might not be such a bad idea, though, since I'd be helping others _and_ taking my mind off of things. I also wanted to become better at Waterbending, and find out more about this whole Priestess thing. The Priestess thing, by the way, was weighing heavily on my mind, but I was determined to decipher the book and deal with it.

Besides, I _liked_ these three kids (well, Sokka was _older_ than me, but if I _hadn't_ de-aged, then…). Katara would be a good Waterbending teacher, and it would be nice to have another female to hang around with. I liked her brother, too – Sokka was definitely gonna provide some comic relief for me. And Aang…well, I couldn't shake off this close, spiritual connection I seemed to have with him. There was something just so _likeable_ about him, that it would have been _impossible_ to say no to him just then. He was just _too_ likeable. Well, that and the fact that he was staring at me with puppy-dog eyes, silently pleading with me to say yes.

I smiled. "Well…I guess so…" I was caught off balance then when Aang hugged me, pulling Katara in for a hug as well and we _all_ fell over, and then Sokka came over with Yang Chong to see if he could help us up, and Appa appeared seemingly out of nowhere and rested his huge head on us all, disallowing us to move.

Master Pakku, who'd moved off to the side, laughed quietly at this…

O~O~O~O

**Katara's P.O.V:**

"I'm not really used to travelling in a group…but…I'll _try_ to do my share of the work…" I told Katara, as we packed our things onto Appa's saddle a few days later.

"Yay," Sokka said sarcastically, walking by with a pile of supplies, and Yang Chong pecking at his head. "You can start by getting this scrawny chicken _off_ me, then!"

Katara and I exchanged a glance, and then we started giggling.

Master Pakku came by then, and Katara and Aang hurried over to say goodbye to him.

I retrieved Yang Chong from assaulting Sokka, and the Water Tribe boy helped me climb up onto Uppa's saddle.

I looked around in awe – it was quite roomy but, then again, Appa is just so huge! A gentle giant, though. I settled myself into a corner of his saddle, and began to fidget with my fan, opening it and closing it again. I did this a few times.

Sokka noticed this. "Is this your first time flying?" He wanted to know, as Katara and Aang joined us up top.

I shrugged. "More or less…I was used to being on a ship, though it got boring at times…"

Aang took up the reins, and tugged at them, lightly. "Yip-yip!" He cried.

With a great bellow, Appa jumped up and, defying gravity _and_ logic, took up into the skies, gaining altitude swiftly.

"_But I really don't like flying_!" I nearly screamed, and the other three – my new travelling companions and hopefully friends – all laughed as we sailed away through the skies towards the Earth Kingdom…


	21. The Dreaming

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

**I'd like to thank all of my terrific reviewers:**

**Stargazer1364**

**EAMCP**

**Rock'xanne**

**Spastic Treehugger**

**SafuuruElDragonRojoX**

**milstead1988**

**SkittelsKat**

**You guys keep me inspired! You're absolutely brilliant! *Grins* Thank you!**

**Okay, so Book One: Water, is finished! Now begins Book Two: Earth!**

_O~O~O~O_

Weeks ago, a mysterious girl named Emma was transported from her own world, and arrived in a strange world where people can manipulate the elements – the world of the Avatar!

Knowing about the world and its war from a TV show, the mysterious young lady found herself on the ship of a banished prince, whose mission in life was to capture the Avatar so that his Father would allow him to return home with honor. The Fire Nation Prince agreed to let the girl stay on his ship, as he continued his quest to capture the Avatar.

Although the two teenagers argued at every turn, there was an undeniable bond between the two of them, even though she knew that what his Father was doing was wrong. The young lady also discovered that she had a number of abilities and powers she did not know she possessed, including the ability to manipulate water. She also happened upon a guardian sent to her by the mysterious lady Of Mercy, Kwan Yin, and named the spirited phoenix Yang Chong.

When her Prince was seemingly assassinated by pirates working for a Fire Nation Admiral, the young lady travelled on the Admiral's ship to the North Pole, where she learned of the Fire Nation's plan to attack the northern Water Tribe and render them unable to Waterbend by killing the spirit of the moon.

Shocked by this, the young lady attempted to prevent this, though she was unable to. Luckily, the Princess of the Northern Water Tribe gave up her life to become the new Moon Spirit, restoring the balance and aiding her people in winning the battle.

The young lady, however, did battle with the young Prince, in an attempt to stop him from capturing the Avatar. Considering this a betrayal to him, she decided not to look for him after the battle, and instead accepted the invitation to join the Avatar and his friends on their journey.

Leaving the North Pole, the group now travels to the Earth Kingdom, to find a master who can teach the Avatar Earthbending…

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

The Dreaming

_O~O~O~O_

_"I know!" Aang exclaimed, like it was the most obvious thing ever. "Why don't you come with us, Emma? !"_

_I was startled. "Wh-what? ! Y-you mean…go with you guys on your quest…" _

O~O~O~O

**Aang's P.O.V:**

"That's completely…it's just…it's…"

Katara seemed to be struggling to find the right word, so her brother supplied: "Weird?"

Katara gave him a look, but Emma smiled cheerfully, and said: "Yeah, I know. It's as weird to you as _this_ world is to me…maybe even more?"

"But, you said you knew about the story from the tee-vee…" Katara said slowly, referring to the strange thing Emma had told us about, that played pictures and sounds somehow (she said she didn't know how). "Does that mean you know what's going to happen before it does?"

Emma's smile became nervous. "Well…_yes_, but…if I told you, it might not happen, because you'd go after it before you should…or…something…"

Katara shrugged. "I…guess that makes sense…Aang, do you agree?" She asked me.

I jumped. I hadn't actually joined in on the conversation yet, but now I said: "Y-yeah, I guess so…it might be nice to know what's going to happen, though?" I glanced over my shoulder at Emma.

Our newest travelling companion blushed, and opened her fan to hide her red face. She did that whenever she was nervous, or embarrassed. My first impression of her, now that we'd been travelling by air for a day and getting to know one another, was that she was shy and quiet, but a really nice person if not a little bit mysterious. She was willing to tell us about her world and the strange and wondrous things in it, but not about herself or her family. And, if anyone tried to approach the subject of her being a prisoner of the Fire Nation, or being able to walk through the Spirit World, she would immediately change the subject, usually to something about the weather or Momo. Only time would tell if she would be a good friend but, for the most part, we all agreed that we liked her.

"So, ah, Aang, where are we going, anyway?" She jumped topics swiftly.

I smiled. "To the Earth Kingdom base. Then, we're going to Omashu, to see if Bumi will teach me Earthbending."

"Omashu?" Emma repeated.

"Mmhmm," Katara nodded, searching through our supplies for the map. The special amulet filled with water from the spirit pool hung around her neck, a gift from Master Pakku. Katara riffled through several Waterbending scrolls I'd received from the same source, before bringing out the world map, which Emma looked at with interest. "Bumi is actually the King of Omashu. He's a little…_different_," She stressed, and I grinned. Katara was _so_ right about that! "But, basically, he's a good guy, and a powerful Earthbender."

"Yeah, he nearly _flattened_ Aang, that one time…" Sokka spoke up.

"Thanks, Sokka…" I muttered. _Then again, Emma probably already knew that…_

"Anytime," Sokka grinned. "Anytime…"

"King Bumi's your old mate, isn't he?" Emma said slightly loudly, crawling across Appa's saddle carefully to the front. She still didn't like flying that much.

"Mate?" Katara repeated.

"Yeah, it means, like, _friend_," Emma shrugged. "It's what people from my country say…wow, that sounds so weird…" She smiled. "Anyway, I remember how they drew Bumi's eyes when he first saw you again…he couldn't believe it was you. Then, he just _had_ to test you!" She laughed, and so did I.

"Yeah, it was pretty unbelievable." I agreed.

"Wait…so…does that mean he's…one hundred and twelve years old?" She gulped. "But he's still an Earthbending master?"

I nodded. "Uh-huh. That's why we're flying to the Earth Kingdom now. If anyone can teach me Earthbending, it's gotta be him, right?" I glanced at her.

She hid behind her fan. "Uh…yeah…sure…"

"_Is_ it him?" Katara wanted to know.

Emma's face disappeared behind her fan. "Look, guys, don't start doubting yourselves and asking me for advice – please." She added, as if fearing she sounded impolite. "If you think it feels right, then by all means, go ahead and _do_ it. I can promise you, it'll probably turn out okay."

"Probably?" I heard Sokka mutter, and my insides churned. What was Emma not telling us?

"Anyway," Emma said suddenly. "We need to, umm, stop…"

"Why?" Sokka wanted to know. "Do you need to use the…"

"_No_," She said, indignantly. "But, Yang Chong needs to eat. There's only _one_ thing phoenixes eat when they're in the first few days of new life…"

O~O~O~O

"That's just weird." Sokka said bluntly.

"Once again, that's life," Emma sighed. "Like it or lump it, boomerang-boy…"

"_Boomerang-boy_?" Sokka repeated, raising an eyebrow. "And, what do you mean, 'once again'?"

Emma just shrugged, and continued feeding Yang Chong little glowing coals from our fire. We had set up camp on a little island, and one of the first things Emma had insisted on doing was starting a fire. She'd explained to us that Yang Chong was a baby phoenix, and needed to eat hot coals for a couple of days after his rebirth, to keep him nourished and fuel the little flame within his belly. She'd seemed a little hesitant to make all of these demands but, as Katara and I had _both_ said, it was perfectly all right. We'd needed to stop anyway. We could camp out for a night, and then set out early the next morning. That way, we'd reach the Earth Kingdom base by lunchtime.

"Hey, Aang?" Katara tapped my shoulder, speaking very softly – she wanted only me to hear this. "Can I speak to you for a moment?" She motioned to some rocks out by the beach.

I nodded, wondering what she wanted to talk to me about. My feelings for Katara had started growing – they'd started off as a slight crush, but now they were steadily growing, like the sun rising into the sky. But, I thought that _this_ sun might _never_ set…

"Aang," Katara turned to face me, and I thought about how pretty she looked, standing on the rocks by the sea. It was her element and, today, it was the same colour as her eyes, calm and peaceful but, also, a little troubled.

"What is it, Katara?" I wanted to know.

"How do you feel about Emma travelling with us?" She bit her lip.

I glanced to the side. "Well…it's only been a day, really, so I can't make any judgments," I said slowly. "But, she _seems_ nice enough, even if she's shy."

Katara nodded. "I agree," She sounded thoughtful. "I think she's a little…_confused_, about her situation – I mean, she got transported from another _world_ and, to top it all off, _this_ one's been just a story to her – up until now, that is…"

I looked at her. "Do you believe her story – that she comes from a different world?"

Katara looked surprised. "Well, yeah, don't you?"

I paused. At last, I said: "I _do_…just…Katara, I don't know how to explain it, I just…_sense_ something about her…nothing _bad_, of course, but just…like…I mean, seeing her in the Spirit World, and the pink light…I think it's something _more_ than what we're seeing here…" I thought back to seeing Emma in the Spirit World, the way she'd been tormented almost by all of the elements, and the way she'd warned me that danger was nearby. The pink light that had surrounded her then…and, I was _sure_ that had been her when we were at the Fire Temple…what _was_ she?

Katara glanced at me, and then looked back towards camp. So did I. Emma had finished feeding Yang Chong, and appeared to be having a conversation with Sokka. It was very animated – Emma would throw her hands up into the air and then lower them whilst she sagged her shoulders, and Sokka would nod enthusiastically and then put his hands to his mouth as he gasped. Whatever they were talking about, it was obviously something important.

"I think she'll be alright," Katara said. Her eyes clouded over. "She was a prisoner of the Fire Nation for so long…the _least_ we can do for her is…you know…" She shrugged.

"Let her come with us on our quest?" I grinned. "Who knows, she might be able to help us a lot!"

Katara smiled. She looked so pretty when she smiled like that! "Yes, I hope so! She's a Waterbender like I am – I _knew_ meeting her on that day was important!" She exclaimed, referring back to the day by the river, when Emma dressed all in white had asked to train with us. She must've been able to sneak away from Zuko's ship for that time, whilst he was busy asking the pirates to capture us…

"Me too!" I agreed with her and, with that, we headed back to the camp site.

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"And _that_," I said to Sokka, sagely. "Is why Headless Mike has his own holiday…"

Sokka and Yang Chong stared at me.

Finally, Sokka glanced at Yang Chong, and then said to me: "That makes…_no sense_…" He shook his head in disbelief. "Is that even true?"

"Every word of it!" I exclaimed, noticing that Katara and Aang were on their way back, and deciding to wrap up the conversation. "Anyway, it's not important…"

"Yeah…" Sokka replied, but he looked thoroughly disturbed.

"What were you two talking about?" Aang wanted to know.

"Oh…not much…" I replied, and set about helping Katara with dinner.

It was…_interesting_…

"Wait, don't put that in yet!" Katara exclaimed, and I withdrew my hand holding the edible leaves quickly. "They're not ready yet." The Waterbender explained.

"Oh," I peered at the broth. I didn't see anything strange. "Then…when _will_ it be ready?" I asked, gulping.

"In a moment," Katara replied. She took out a few potatoes from her supplies, and placed them on a flat rock. She handed me a knife. "Here, can you peel these and cut them? We can add them to the stew."

I looked at the potatoes, and then at the knife in my hand. I glanced at Katara, who was busy grinding up the herbs in an actual mortar. I looked back at the knife, and remembered all of the times at home Mum had berated me for my lack of cooking skills. I _also_ remembered the time in year six, when our teacher had told us to be _extremely_ careful of the Stanley Knives we were using to cut boxes. Needless to say, I'd run back into the classroom five minutes later, clutching a bloodied finger.

I was panicking. _I don't know how to cook…or…ANYTHING? ! What should I do? !_

I noticed Katara watching me, then. "Is everything okay?" She asked me.

I gulped. "Umm…I…don't cook…I mean…my parents cook…" I grew slightly frantic, then. "I mean, I _know_ you _have_ to cook, because of your circumstances, but I DON'T…so, can you please help me out here and teach me, _please_? !" I lowered my head, almost respectfully, but mostly out of embarrassment.

I felt Katara's hand on my shoulder, and I looked up. Her eyes were calm, and kind. She was smiling a little. "It's okay…everyone has _different_ circumstances, so of course it's okay…" She put a hand on my shoulder.

I gulped. "I'm sorry…I…I don't know what to say…"

"It's okay." Katara assured me. "Now, come on. My brother gets hungry fast, and Aang's no better…"

"HEY!" The Airbender protested from across the beach.

"So we'd better get a move on, then!" Katara said loudly, but then she lowered her voice, and said: "But, we can take as long as we want."

I realized that she was telling me to take as long as I needed, and I felt a rush of gratitude towards her, as I settled in to my first cooking lesson in the Avatar World…

O~O~O~O

I was sitting by the campfire, listening to Aang, Katara and Sokka sing songs that reminded me of the songs Uncle Iroh and the others had sung.

My heart ached for my almost-Uncle, and for his nephew whom had been an important part of my life. I had to admit, I _missed_ them, and scolded myself for not having realized that it wouldn't last forever. I tried to focus on the here and now. I was travelling with Aang, Katara and Sokka now – that was all there was to it. Besides, if I was still with them later on, I'd be seeing Zuko again anyway. He'd be teaming up with the Gaang, and I _hoped_ that much was certain. For all I knew, my influence could've turned Zuko into a second version of Ozai. I had to remind myself that we were still following a story-line, if not vaguely…

"Emma…" Sokka waved a hand in front of my face.

I blinked, and said: "What?" Rather rudely, and then ducked my head. "I mean, yes?" I blushed. "Sorry…"

"Why do you like apologizing so much?" Aang wondered, and then shrugged. "Oh well. We were wondering something?"

"_What_?" I was suspicious. Yang Chong nuzzled against my hand, a reassurance.

"Well, what kind of songs do you have in your world?" Katara asked. She was sitting with her legs tucked under her, a picture of perfect serenity. "You mentioned something about that before…"

"Huh…oh, yes, I did…" I nodded vehemently. "Music is absolutely _awesome_ where I come from…people form bands, and there are some solo singers, too. They're called rock stars, idols, music sensations, and things like that. I like most kinds of music from my world, but not all…"

"Soooo…what kinds of music _do_ you have?" Sokka wanted to know.

I ticked off on my fingers: "Rock, pop, ballad, country, metal…"

They all exchanged confused looks.

I tried to explain. "There's a lot of different kinds – it's hard to explain…" I shrugged. "Umm…basically, it's about the instruments, as well as the _theme_ of the song. People can sing about friendship, love, family, war, power, magic, evil, holiness…basically, _everything_…and it all depends on _how_ they sing it. They can be singing about love but really mean something else entirely. We can buy these things called _CD's_, which – somehow – can play the songs by our favourite singers on them. My favourite band is called _Disturbed_…" I smiled a little, thinking about them. They had been my favourite band since I was in year twelve. It had started out as an act of defiance to Mum and Dad, and that one night listening to the first album had changed my life. I learned to love their songs, which spoke about political and humanitarian issues, as well as having a slightly darker undertone, and plenty of power. Plus, the lead singer was _awesome_. It was _not_ the band you expected someone like me to love, but there you go. I also liked Michael Bolton. You did _not_ expect to see both artists on a playlist. I was unique. "They're pretty dark…"

Katara, Aang and Sokka were staring at me and, feeling self-conscious, I hid behind my fan. "W-what?" I asked them.

"Nothing," Aang reassured me. "That's just the most you've said since we met you…you sounded so…_passionate_ about it…" He added.

I blushed. "W-well, music _does_ make the world go round…that and tea…" I hoped there was tea in the Earth Kingdom, otherwise I was going back to the Fire Nation…somehow…

"Don't take this the wrong way," Katara said, hesitantly. "But, well, your _voice_…it _sounds_ really…like, you're a singer…"

My face was utterly _red_ by that stage.

"Soooo…_can_ you sing?" Sokka asked me.

"She can!" Aang piped up, darn him!

I gulped. "Umm…uh…n-not now…l-later…some other time…I'm tired! Earth Kingdom tomorrow, right? !" I stood up quickly. "I'm gonna go wash my…face, for a second, and then bed! D-don't mind me! Yang Chong!" My phoenix chirped, and jumped onto my shoulder.

I beat a hasty retreat to the beach, not missing Sokka saying to Katara and Aang: "She's…weird."

"Oh, stop it, Sokka!" Katara scolded.

O~O~O~O

_"Emma…"_

_I opened my eyes, and saw the familiar, comforting face of Kwan Yin looking at me._

_"Are you alright, my daughter?" The lady asked me, smiling sympathetically._

_I nodded. "I…I THINK so…I mean…should I be with Zuko right now? I mean, is he okay? Did I make the right choice?"_

_Kwan Yin put her arms around me, and hugged me close. "My daughter…see for yourself…judge…"_

_It's been three years…_

_I realized, with a jolt, that I was reading Prince Zuko's thoughts. I saw him, so clearly, in front of me, the Prince I had betrayed, whom probably hated me now. It tore my heart apart, and I wanted so badly to wrap my arms around him and reassure him, even though I knew he wouldn't accept it._

_I can't believe it…so much has changed…everything…I thought I could trust her, but…__ His face was frowning, his eyes clouded with confusion… I thought she actually CARED about me…_

_I only did it to protect Aang! I wanted to shout these words to him. I'm sorry, I never wanted to hurt you! I care about you, I'm worried about you! Zuko PLEASE! !_

_I felt tears slide down my face, and the vision shifted._

_Kwan Yin had her arms around me, and I felt a deep sense of comfort in her embrace. I whispered: "I care about him, I didn't want to betray him, but Aang is…IMPORTANT…he's the only hope this world has…Zuko wouldn't be suffering half as much if I hadn't come to this world…" I voiced the worries I'd been harboring, even if it was only in a dream. "Everything would have been a lot simpler without me in it…"_

_"But, my child, how do you know that THIS isn't the way things were meant to be?" Kwan Yin was ever serene, and it made me feel that way too, her aura and her voice. "You only know the story told by the people in your world…but, perhaps, THIS is the way things were meant to be…"_

_"But…how can I know?" I asked her, plaintively. "How am I supposed to know, My Lady?"_

_Her voice was sympathetic. "In time, my daughter, you WILL know…for now, know this. **It is your destiny to travel with Aang and his friends for now, until you reach Ba Sing Sei. Then, you will be reunited with your SOUL MATE and stay together, as you wish to be, but then you will have a brief separation.**" Her voice was soft, as she spoke to me in a calming tone. She was telling me this to reassure me, to try and calm my nervous tension. "**All will be well**...in the end…you will know…"_

_I took a deep breath. "So…does Zuko forgive me? Will our reunion be…" I gulped. "Good? Or bad?"_

_Kwan Yin didn't answer. Instead, she drew back from me, so that I could see her eyes – they were a deep amber colour and, I realised then, she also seemed to resemble Ursa in some way – the shape of her face, and the kind expression of her features. She cared about Zuko's fate, as well as my own, and I immediately trusted that what she was saying was legit._

_I could only hope…only hope that things would be okay. That he'd forgive me. I wasn't sure why he meant so much to me, or why I missed him so much. I could only remember the tingle on my lips when he'd kissed me, the way my heart hammered in my chest when he was near me, the protectiveness I felt for him…_

_"I want to see him again…" I whispered, tears sliding down my face. "I can't wait…I MISS him…"_

_"I know, my child…" Kwan Yin whispered back. "For now, try to focus on what's happening…"_

_I awoke to somebody screaming..._


	22. Rocks, Shocks And Spiritual Stuff

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

**Author's Notes: By the way, the poem featured in this chapter is copyright of Colleen Houck, and is Ren's poem from the book: The Tiger's Quest. Good book too, by the way. XD Please read it.**

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Rocks, Shocks And Spiritual Stuff

_O~O~O~O_

_"I want to see him again…" I whispered, tears sliding down my face. "I can't wait…I MISS him…"_

_"I know, my child…" Kwan Yin whispered back. "For now, try to focus on what's happening…"_

_I awoke to somebody screaming._

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

It took me a moment to comprehend what I was hearing – and then I leapt out of my sleeping bag like it was on fire, my eyes opened wide.

Katara was already awake, and I joined her where Aang was sitting up, looking pale and shaken.

"Aang, what is it?" Katara put a hand on the young Airbender's shoulder, while I hovered in the background uncertainly.

Aang glanced at her and, for a second, I saw fear light up in his eyes. He looked away. "N-nothing…just a nightmare…"

A bell seemed to ring in my mind just then, and I crept closer. "About theAvatarState?" I asked quietly, and both Aang and Katara looked at me.

Aang nodded. "Y-yeah…I dreamed I was hurting all you guys when I went into the AvatarState…I couldn't _control_ it…I nearly killed you…" He drew his knees up to his chest, and he looked so sad and shaken by the dream that my heart just went out to him. I let Katara handle the whole 'arm-around-his-shoulder-thing', though, and just focused on trying to get him to talk about his nightmare. I'd always found that helps.

When Aang was a lot calmer, Katara left us, and walked over to inspect her brother, who had slept through the entire situation, the lazy guy. I saw Katara poke him with her foot, and then shake her head in disbelief as Sokka slept on…

I stayed with Aang for a second, and he looked at me with still worried eyes. "Emma, hang on a sec…" He reached out to grab my arm as I went to leave. "There's something…something I didn't tell Katara…in the dream…_you_ were there…"

I gulped. "A-and…?" I almost dreaded the answer.

Aang glanced at me, and then shook his head. "It was nothing…just…let's get some sleep…we'll be leaving for theEarthKingdomcapital at first light…" It was still fairly dark, but they say that the darkest hour is just before the dawn…well, it is!

I nodded, and crawled back to my sleeping bag. Yang Chong cooed in his sleep (it was okay for the _animals_ to sleep through this, I guess…), and nuzzled up against my neck as I settled back down to sleep…a nightmareless sleep, thank goodness…but _not_ dreamless…

O~O~O~O

**Katara's P.O.V:**

"Isn't she awake yet?" Sokka raised an eyebrow.

I gave him a Look, and threw a rucksack at him. "_Some_ of us didn't get all eight hours of beauty sleep, Sokka…" I tiptoed over to Emma's sleeping bag, and gently shook her shoulder. "Emma, wake up, we're leaving…"

"Cinnamon…" She muttered in her sleep, shifting slightly. "And glazing…IT'S A GIANT DONUT! !" She yelled, throwing her arms up, and I leapt back in surprise, clutching my heart.

"What's a donut?" Aang wanted to know, coming over to join me. I was glad to see that he'd recovered after his nightmare last night, but I resolved to keep an eye on him for awhile. He then shrugged. "Anyway, it doesn't matter…we should wake her up…" A grin lit up his face. "And, I know _just_ how to do it…"

"Oh, wait, let _me_ do it!" Sokka exclaimed, hurrying over with a leafy branch.

"Sokka, _don't_!" I warned him, but it was too late.

"Emma, wake up, there's a prickle snake in your sleeping bag!" Sokka cried, whilst sliding the stick up and down the sleeping bag.

As predicted, Emma's eyes flew open, and she leapt up, startling Yang Chong, whom leapt about seven feet into the air, and landed on top of Momo.

Emma looked around wildly. "Where is it? ! Is it still on me? !"

I came over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. I explained: "Sokka just tricked you to get you to wake up. We're leaving now."

Emma gasped. "Oh no, did I oversleep? ! I'm so sorry, I'll be ready to go in a ten minutes! Just let me feed Yang Chong, no time for my breakfast!" She scurried around and was ready to leave in the time frame she'd described…

O~O~O~O

"Here," I handed Emma some breakfast, which she accepted and gingerly took a bite out of.

"What _is_ it?" She asked.

It was Blubbered Seal Jerky. I told her.

She stopped chewing for a moment, and then shrugged and swallowed. It was still better than nothing.

We were flying along on Appa, making good progress, although Emma was a little quiet. When I asked her what was wrong, she told me she didn't think she was very good company to travel with. We all told her that was nonsense, and that we just needed to get used to it. She also needed to get used to flying – she clutched at the sides of Appa's saddle, looking rather pale…

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

My eyes widened when we reached the Earth Kingdom Base. I realized then that I was looking forward to seeing Omashu and, later on, Ba Sing Se – the EarthKingdomwas _incredible_! I realized then that I hadn't really been seeing much, apart from the interior of a Fire Nation Ship. _This_ was a much better way to see the world!

As Aang brought Appa in to land at the edge of the fortress, which was set onto a large mountain. From the map, I saw that we were in the Earth Kingdom Mountain Range of the western coast. Looking out west, I realized that the next closest land I was looking at was the Fire nation. I gulped, and turned away from it. There would be plenty of time for that later on…

As soon as Appa landed, I scrambled out of the saddle and onto solid ground. I was getting _slightly_ more used to flying, but not by very much. As Katara had said, these things would take some getting used to.

Yang Chong hopped down after me, and landed on my head. He clung to my hair, which had grown a fair few inches since I'd arrived in the Avatar World.

I suddenly looked up when I saw a pair of bare feet, and saw anEarthKingdomguy staring back down at me. He had a large brown beard and brown eyes that had a mixture of amusement and annoyance in them, and I scrambled to my feet and hurried back, bumping into Katara as she finished taking our supplies off of Appa.

"They're _staring_ at us…with their _eyes_…" I whispered, also standing partially behind her, as we looked out over the group of bare-footed, pointy-hat-wearingEarthKingdom soldiers, whom had come to greet us.

"I _know_…" She whispered back.

I wondered what they were seeing, as they greeted us with a heroes welcome, as the exploits of the Avatar were now very widely known…

O~O~O~O

**No One's P.O.V:**

General Fong said, graciously: "Welcome, Avatar Aang!" He and his soldiers bowed.

The young Air Nomad smiled wildly, his boyish face beaming around at theEarthKingdomsoldiers. He was short, typical of a twelve year old boy, with grayish-brown eyes and a shaven head, revealing the blue arrow that was one of his Air Bender tattoos. He carried a staff used for Airbending with him, and was dressed in red and yellow clothes, the primary colours accenting his almost childish nature. He looked that way on the outside, but his eyes betrayed a hint of wisdom far beyond his years, and the burden of being the Avatar. He had been through a lot, but that was evident only if one looked deeper into his eyes. For the most part, he appeared to be a fun-loving and spirited young boy.

"I am General Fong. And welcome to all of you, great heroes! Appa," The flying bison merely looked at him. "Momo," The flying lemur blinked his huge green eyes. "Brave Sokka…"

The fifteen year old Water Tribe warrior smiled casually, although he seemed a little overwhelmed by all of the attention their little group was getting. He was the tallest of the four, with bright blue eyes and slightly tanned skin, traditional aspects of people from the Water Tribes. Another distinct feature was his the way he tied his dark brown hair back tightly, behind the crown of his slightly shaven head. It was called a Warrior's Wolf Tail (apparently). He wore a blue kimono-like tunic with split sides and fur-trimmed leggings underneath. He carried his boomerang on his back. "Hey." He said, by way of greeting. He had a slightly lazy kind of drawl, reflecting his humorous nature, but he was also a serious warrior, a strategist, and very protective of his friends and family...

"The mighty Katara…" General Fong continued.

"Mighty Katara? I like that…" The fourteen year old's eyes sparkled. They were a deeper and clearer blue than her brother's, but her skin tone was the same. Her hair was a slightly lighter brown, and hung in a long braid down her back. Framing her face were two hair-loopies, that secured to the back of her braid. She wore a lighter blue kimono-like tunic than her brother, and carried a water-pouch at her hip, a mark of her being able to bend water. Around her neck she wore a dark blue choker, which sported a shining blue medallion that wore the symbol of Waterbending. At first appearance she appeared to be a bright and friendly girl, but those that knew her were also aware of the pain within her past, and her desire to protect those close to her was strong…

"And…uh…the…uh…" General Fong glanced at the newest team member.

The girl standing partially behind Katara gulped, and lowered her head. "H-hello…" She stammered, her musical voice barely above a whisper. It was strange for her new friends to see her this way – she had stood up to Master Pakku but, now, she seemed almost submissive. Her face was slightly pale, though her skin was usually only slightly tanned. She had dark gold eyes and dark brown hair that hung loosely around her shoulders. Three gold hoops decorated both of her ears, and she wore a red choker with a Yin-Yang pendant. All of these factors made her look slightly Fire Nation-y in appearance, although that was clearly not the case here, despite the red chicken-like bird perched atop her head. She wore, however, clothing that came directly from the Northern Water Tribe, a gift to her from Master Pakku (which was better than Sokka's non-existent one). It was lighter in colour, almost lilac, and had darker blue linings. She was apparently very nervous about being confronted by such a large group of people, regardless of their intentions, although her eyes betrayed a hint of spirit and…mischief? She looked like she was a really friendly person on the inside. When she reached up to tug at her collar in discomfort, the sunlight glinted off of a gold fan tucked up her sleeve.

For just a moment, theEarthKingdomsoldiers glanced at the fourth team member with slight curiosity.

"Uh…" Emma hesitated, and glanced at Aang for help, but it was Katara who spoke.

"This is Emma. She helped me find Aang when he was in danger," The Waterbender explained. "And then fought against the Fire Prince to protect us." She slung one arm around Emma's shoulder, and the other around Aang's, and smiled radiantly. "Oh, and the bird's name is Yang Chong." She added, as an afterthought, and the phoenix ruffled himself up proudly.

General Fong seemed to accept this, although some of theEarthKingdomsoldiers were still glancing at Emma…

O~O~O~O

**Iroh's P.O.V:**

"Your ability to remember ever poem or verse you've ever heard is amazing, Uncle." My nephew said dryly, and I just smiled at him. It was our third day at the resort – we'd been adrift at sea, but then picked up by a freak storm and landed in paradise, battered but alive. My nephew, however, seemed unwilling to enjoy the luxuries that the resort had to offer, even though the resort was amazing and the sea shells on the beach were beautiful. In an attempt to cheer him up some, I decided to recite a poem that I believed he would find _most_ interesting.

_I lit a candle and watched the flame._

_It danced and twisted_

_Wild and unfettered._

_It captured me and flickered in my eyes._

_When I passed my hand over it_

_It stirred._

_The flame rose higher, burned hotter._

_When I pulled my hand away the heat diminished,_

_Grew fainter, and extinguished._

_I stretched out my hand again to savor the burn._

_Would it singe and scald? Blister and blaze?_

_No! It tingled and warmed,_

_Smoldered and glowed,_

_Setting me ablaze, body and soul._

_It was glimmering, luminous, radiant,_

_The fiery blush of her cheek._

When I finished, I opened my eyes to check for my nephew's reaction to a poem Emma had recited to me not too long ago. As predicted, Zuko had gone still, and appeared to be looking over my shoulder at something.

However, the name he muttered was _not_ Emma's, and I turned around quickly to confirm.

My blood almost ran cold, as I saw my proud niece walking towards us with a big smile on her red painted lips. She resembled a Tigerdillo as she walked slowly towards us…

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I thought my face was going to be permanently red after this day. First of all, we had to get from where we were to the base, because _apparently_ these people _didn't_ read the episode synopsis that said we were supposed to land _in front of_ the base. I had to sit on the back of an Ostrich-Horse behind a very good-looking Earth Kingdom soldier (not that I was _looking_, I just happened to _notice_ – I'll bet even _Katara_ thought he was hot). I had to take his hand to be helped up because the Ostrich-Horse was actually an Ostrich-_Clydesdale_, and then I had to wrap my arms around his waist so that I wouldn't fall off – but, because I was so nervous, I actually _did_ fall off, and not just _off_ but down a ditch as well. I thought I was going to die but, luckily, there were some plants at the bottom to cushion my fall, or maybe _not_ so lucky because they had prickles. I yelled: "I'm _okay_!" Even though I wasn't, and then I realized that I couldn't get back up. Aang had to come and rescue me, even though I told him to just leave me there, I was so humiliated.

"Who the hell falls off an Ostrich-Horse while it's _walking_?" I heard one of the soldiers mutter as Mr. Handsome helped me back onboard.

"Cute but ditzy?" Another one muttered, and I groaned softly and pretended I couldn't hear them. I was bruised and bloody and beet red, and I just wanted to fall into a hole and not come back out again.

It _did_ help things a little when Yang Chong pecked the faces of those twoEarthKingdom soldiers, though.

O~O~O~O

When we got to the base, we were shown to the world's most extravagant and comfortable room, complete with a sliding door to partition off the girls' side and the boys' side. The beds were comfortable and luxurious – I know because I spent ten minutes sitting on mine and picking out prickles from my arms and legs. When Katara realized what I was doing, she pitched in to help me.

As we were finishing up (and had enough prickles in a pile to create a Boarcupine) a few soldiers came in with trays of food and drink. Katara and I joined Aang and Sokka in their room, as the soldiers told us what they'd brought us, most of which I had no idea what were, until he got to the beverages, and said that three-letter word that sets me on high.

I interrupted him. "You had me at tea!" I grabbed the cup and took a long drink, which turned out to be a bad idea because I burnt my whole mouth.

As Katara was using her Waterbending stuff to heal my mouth, which was as red as my face, and the soldiers, Aang and Sokka were laughing at me, I wondered: _Can this day get any worse?_

Apparently, it could…

"General Fong wishes to see all four of you immediately." The good-looking soldier said when we'd finished our meal, and we all exchanged a glance.

O~O~O~O

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

My mind was reeling after Azula's visit, thoughts flashing through it a hundred miles an hour, taking no corporeal shape but just flitting through like Spiderflies. My Father wanted me back home. Azula was going to escort me home. I hadn't captured the Avatar but, apparently, that didn't even matter. I was going to reclaim my honor, and my title. I was going to be alright.

Only one thing was bothering me.

Something Azula had said, that had set me instantly on edge.

~O~

_"I was actually under the impression that you were travelling with a young lady, Zuzu," She'd said, using the nickname for me that I hated. "Emma, was her name? Where is she?"_

_I exchanged the briefest of glances with my Uncle, and saw something in his eyes that I understood. Locking gazes with my little sister, I said clearly: "Emma was killed during the siege by Waterbenders."_

_Azula's hazel eyes pierced my own, sizing me up to see if I was lying. I felt my heart hammer in my chest – Azula was the brilliant liar in the family, not me. I just hoped that she hadn't learnt how to read minds in the past three years._

_At last, Azula looked away from me, and sighed. "Oh, that's too bad. Daddy was SO looking forward to meeting her…"_

_My breath hitched slightly in my throat at these words._

_Azula glanced at me. "Oh, don't feel bad, Zuzu – Mai's still waiting for you at home…" She smirked slightly, her golden eyes glittering. "She just can't WAIT to see you, dear brother…"_

~O~

I clenched my fist at my side at this thought. What did Azula _mean_ by Mai was waiting for me. I remembered Mai, she was one of Azula's two closest friends, along with Ty-Lee. I knew that Mai had had a slight crush on me when we were younger, but I honestly thought that I'd gotten over her by now.

Even though I didn't mean to, I began to compare Mai to Emma.

Mai was from one of the wealthiest families in the Fire Nation, which was how she had met Azula by attending a highly prestigious school. She was tall for her age (or, had been the last time I'd seen her), with dark amber eyes and hair that she wore her long black hair tied up in an ox-horns hairstyle. She was a fairly attractive girl, but one with a very strict and political upbringing. She was a calm person who tended to look out for number one, spoke almost entirely in a monotone and never seemed to care. Nothing ever fazed her, and her actions were very steady – she never acted outside of her personality. She hardly ever showed emotion and, when she _did_, it was to the bare minimum. In fact, I don't think I'd _ever_ seen her get worked up over anything, not even when Azula knocked us both into a fountain. She was very stoic, and it was hard to know whether or not she actually liked you...

Emma, on the other hand, was _not_ known for keeping her personality to just one point. She could be either deadly serious, or completely freaking out. Whilst she would act calm in some situations, at other times she'd gotten into serious trouble for mouthing off to her superiors. She came from another world where she was just an ordinary girl and everything was different – she often suffered from culture shock. She was very shy in certain situations, and at times actually had _trouble_ expressing her feelings. She was, however, passionate about the things she loved (like tea, music and that phoenix of hers), and protective of the people she cared about. Though, because she was so short, she didn't _look_ as if she could protect someone, but _I_ knew better. I'd seen how angry she could get, and also how upset she could be, too. She hardly ever bothered taking care of her messy dark brown hair, which framed her face and her liquid gold eyes. Her face was very pretty, though, and her lips…

I gulped. I remembered the time I had kissed her, just after we'd freed the Avatar from the Pohuai Stronghold. On that night, she'd shown considerable loyalty to me, a sharp contrast to her attacking me up at the North Pole. Though I was somewhat hurt by her sudden change of alliance, I couldn't help but remember the way my heart had pounded every time I'd been near her, and the way my lips had tingled after kissing her, the warm, softness of her pink lips…the sweet sound of her voice as she'd sang on music night…the way her body moved gracefully when she was fighting…the way she'd look at me and smile, _just_ for me…it was like gravity _wanted_ me to go back to her, like the spirits were trying to _tell_ me something…like I should maybe go and _find_ her…

I shook my head quickly, trying to dispel these thoughts. This was no time to get melancholic about the past! I took a deep breath, and steadied myself and my thoughts. Pretty soon, I would be going home…

I couldn't forget the poem Uncle Iroh had recited for me, though, and wondered where he had heard it from…for some reason; it reminded me of _her_…

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

The inside of the base where we were was a large room, with green-lit columns on each side of a central walkway. General Fong sat behind a desk, whilst Aang, Katara, Sokka and myself sat in the centre of the room on a mat.

"Avatar Aang," Fong said. "We were all amazed at the stories of how you managed to defeat an entire Fire Navy fleet at the North Pole." Fong stroked his beard thoughtfully, as I thought about what must've happened whilst I was with Zhao – Aang must've merged with La whilst that was happening. That must've been the tidal wave I'd seen. Tidal wave? That thing'd been a _TSUNAMI_. "I can't imagine what it feels like to wield such devastating power." He stopped stroking his beard and clasped his hands. "It's an awesome responsibility."

Aang was humble. "I try not to think about it too much."

_I'll bet he doesn't…_

Fong smiled happily. "Avatar, you're ready to face the Fire Lord now."

There was a moment of silence following that, and then Aang exclaimed: "What? ! No I'm not!" He sounded alarmed.

Katara spoke up. "Aang still needs to master all four elements." She sounded a little bit surprised, but also firm. She was gonna stick to her guns on this one.

Fong got a little bit worked up at that point. "Why?" He stood up. "With the kind of power he possesses – power enough to destroy hundreds of battle ships in a matter of minutes – he could defeat the Fire Lord now!"

_No, he couldn't,_ I thought, but kept my mouth shut – for once – and instead let my gaze drift over to the other side of the room, where I caught sight of a really old guy, who appeared to be watching me.

I felt slightly creeped out, because his gaze was very intense. He was almost bald, and had white side burns and moustache. He was wearing a red fur vest over pants, and the vest was opened to reveal a wooden pendant around his neck. It seemed familiar, but I wasn't sure why.

The man held my gaze for a full minute, until I heard General Fong's voice say: "So, it's decided then."

I snapped my gaze back to him. "Huh? What is?"

"Weren't you listening?" Katara asked me.

"Uh, yeah, I was – he," I pointed to Fong. "Wants to help Aang get into the AvatarState, and then he'll _face his destiny_." I intoned mysteriously.

I caught a quick look in Fong's eyes that said: _How did she know I was going to say that?_

Aang, Sokka and Katara stood up then, and the later pulled me to my feet also.

"Nothing's decided!" She was fairly irritated by this stage. "We already have a plan, Aang's pursuing _his_ destiny _his_ way."

"Well, while you take your time learning the elements, the war goes on. May I show you something?" Fong asked Aang.

I gulped, knowing that Aang was about to see a whole lot of very injured soldiers. How dare Fong play on Aang's insecurities like that!

I glanced back to see if the mysterious old man was there, but he was gone. Damn it!

O~O~O~O

Somehow, I wasn't surprised to hear Aang get up in the middle of the night and, resisting the urge to hum my own spy music, I decided to follow him.

Just as I'd suspected, Aang went to go and see General Fong, whom was looking over a map at his desk. I tiptoed in behind him, and hid behind a pillar.

"General Fong?" Aang said quietly.

Fong looked up, and smiled. "Come in, Aang. Have you thought about our discussion?"

I saw Aang look down. "I'm in." My heart just about stopped beating then, and then took off racing again when Aang looked up and added: "I'll fight the Fire Lord."

"Oh Aang, no…" I whispered, slightly horrified. Even though I _knew_ it would all be okay, I guess I was just caught up in the moment, or something…

O~O~O~O

I overslept the next day, and awoke just before noon. _How_ Aang managed to get up, when he was awake at the same hour that night, I'll never know.

I hurried to get dressed, and found some new clothes set out for me, since my ones from yesterday were being washed. I looked at the new ones, and noticed straight away that they were very Earth Kingdom-y. I put on the light green robe with the gold trimmings and the matching baggy pants, and immediately felt like I was from theEarthKingdom. Looking at myself in front of the mirror, I had to admit that I didn't look half-bad. I glanced up at my hair, and decided to tie my hair up for once. After struggling with it for a moment, I managed to fix it into a sort of bun. I smiled at it, and it came free of its bindings immediately. My mouth dropped open. I tried again and, this time, I managed to get it into a fairly decent-looking hairstyle that I didn't have a name for. It was kinda like a half-bun, even though my hair wasn't long enough for that. I'd used one of my remaining two red ribbons for it, though.

I thought about how Mum had always said I never took care of my appearance, and how my sister had always been annoyed at me for not caring, and I felt sad. If they could all see me now…

Yang-Chong hopped up onto my shoulder, and tilted his head to one side.

"You don't like it, do you?" I sighed, and went outside anyway, to find out where everyone had gone.

O~O~O~O

As I walked slowly through the base, looking for my companions, I became increasingly uncomfortable, because everyone seemed to be staring at me. I wasn't sure why but, when I walked past them, I could sense them staring after me. It was…_weird_.

Yang-Chong pulled gently on my ear to get me to turn around and, when I looked left, I saw a temple. "Is Aang in there?" I asked the phoenix, who chirped. "I'll take that as a 'yes'." I headed towards the temple, very aware that theEarthKingdomsoldiers were still watching me. My face must've been red by this stage, I should've put on Kyoshi makeup…

O~O~O~O

Inside the temple, I found a bewildering scene. Aang was standing in the centre, wearing a ridiculous hat with leaves coming out of the top and a blue cape. To his right were Katara, Sokka and Fong, all of them covered in mud.

Oh, and the creepy old guy from earlier was there too, and I realized at _once_ who he must be – he was a priest!

Something that had been said to be when I was with the Fire Nation came back to me…wasn't I supposed to be a _priestess_ of sorts? Perhaps this old guy _knew_ that…

Aang turned around then and saw me, and I took the opportunity to ask him: "What are you _wearing_?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing…" Aang told me, and I looked down at myself and blushed.

"Oh, this?" Katara, Aang and Sokka came over to get a good look at me, before we headed outside. "I found it laid out for me, because my other clothes are being washed…" I smiled self-consciously. "That bad, huh?"

Outside the temple, we found a group ofEarthKingdomsoldiers crowded around the doors and, when I came out, they all stared at me.

I _knew_ my face was bright red by this stage.

Fong, who had come out behind us, gave the soldiers a searching Look. "Looking for something, gentlemen?" He asked sternly.

"Ah, no sir!"

"No, we're fine!"

"Sorry, sir!"

Fong just shook his head, smiling ever so slightly.

Katara, Aang, Sokka and I were thoroughly mystified.

O~O~O~O

The following day, I went to see General Fong. I was wearing myEarthKingdomrobes again, but I had chosen to leave my hair down. I was worried about my friends at the same time. Katara and Aang weren't speaking to each other, and Aang was probably still worried about hisAvatarState. It wasn't a good situation to be in, but I had other questions, too.

"General," I said politely, fiddling with my necklace and not looking at him.

"Yes, Emma?"

"Umm…I was wondering…I mean…after what happened yesterday…" I stammered.

"You mean about the way my soldiers were looking at you?" Fong asked.

"No!" I looked up quickly. "Not about _that_! I meant…well, you see…I was curious about things to do with priests and stuff…see, I've heard this strange story about a priestess, and I was just wondering if this priest guy you've got knows anything about it at all…"

A voice came from the corner of the room. "That I do, young lady." The priest from yesterday came slowly towards us, dressed _exactly_ how he had been before. "Come, we will take a walk." He held his arm out to me, and I took it, allowing him to lead me out of the room.

On the way out, we passed Aang, who was on his way in and, on an impulse, I called to him: "Expect the unexpected, Aang!"

O~O~O~O

"I knew it from the moment I first laid eyes on you, that you were not as you appeared to be, young lady," The priest and I were back at the temple, and he was busy with something on a stone table. "You hail from a different world, and bear the sign for _Shining Virtue_ on your forehead." His back was to me, so he didn't see my look of shock, but he seemed to sense it, as he went on: "Don't act so surprised. As a priest, I am perfectly capable of seeing the spiritual-ness of others."

_Is there even such a word as spiritual-ness?_ I wondered, before the priest turned back around and beckoned me over to the table.

He stood on one side of it, and I stood on the other.

On the table in front of us was a shallow white bowl of water with pebbles at the bottom. A tea-candle floated in the middle of the bowl, unlit.

The priest reached across the table, and took my hands in his. Closing his eyes, he began to chant in a language I didn't know and, despite myself, I actually thought he knew what he was doing this time around.

"Now, young lady," The priest still had his eyes closed. "Close your eyes and concentrate…harness your chi…_listen_…"

I did as I was told, trying to focus on that energy inside of me. I focused as hard as I could, but couldn't seem to feel any difference. I was frustrated, and _that_ made me think of Zuko. I don't know why, it just did. I remembered the arrogant way he had spoken, the harsh tone of his voice when he criticized…the sharpness in his golden eyes that would be replaced by warmth if I tried hard enough. The scar that decorated his face, a painful reminder of his sad past. The soft touch of his lips on mine, the night we'd freed Aang…the jolt of electricity that had run through my entire body, just from that one kiss. My heart thudded in my chest as I remembered my powerful Firebending prince, and I felt a warm glow travel from my heart up to my forehead, and down my arms as well.

I saw Zuko now, in my mind's eye, making amends with his Uncle as they headed towards Azula's ship. _No_! I wanted to shout out to them. _It's a trap, don't trust her_! _ZUKO_!

The scene shifted and changed, showing me an image of Katara. She was trapped in the muddy ground, and sinking deep into the earth as I watched in horror. _No_! _Katara_!

But, it wasn't _my_ voice that yelled out, it was someone _else's_…a woman, who knew Katara well.

_Please, save her_! The woman begged me, and I realized that she was crying.

_Don't cry…she'll be okay…I'll go to her at once…_

My eyes snapped open, to see the priest staring at me in complete awe. I was aware that there was a pink glow coming from my forehead, and also in strange calligraphy-like symbols on my arms.

"_I have to go_," I said, in a musical voice that was hardly my own, letting go of the priest's hands. "_Katara's in danger_!" I turned and ran, only half registering that the tea-candle was now ablaze.

O~O~O~O

I ran through the base, my bare feet carrying me across the ground, as I headed towards where I could hear the battle coming from. I spotted a fewEarthKingdomsoldiers, who turned as they heard me running.

"_Out of my way_!" I commanded them, jumping up and leaping over them in a swift movement, hardly stopping. I felt the ground behind me change slightly, and side-stepped to avoid the Earthbending attacks. I spun around to face them, seeing a strange pink glow around the edge's of my vision.

The Earthbenders were stunned. "What…what _is_ she…?" One of them asked.

"_Very ANGRY that you've all endangered my friends_!" I said, my melodic voice reverberating. I spun back around and ran towards the battle. The soldiers did not attempt to stop me again.

I heard Aang's hysterical voice, choked with tears. "You don't need to do this!" He grasped General Fong's hand. He was on his hands and knees, positively _begging_, and I was furious at Fong's actions, no matter the reason behind them.

"Apparently I do." General Fong replied, and I watched as he was about to clench his fist. I saw Katara's head sticking out of the ground – the rest of her was already sank.

Remembering a similar scene on _Xena_, with the Warrior Princess and Gabrielle, I ran forward and grabbed Katara's hands. "_Katara_!"

"_Emma_!" She cried, in panic, as we _both_ began slipping into the ground.

"_Katara, no_!" I gasped, as my elbows and then the entire front of my body sank, like it was water I was going into, and not solid stone. I tried to get my energy to do _something_, and the rock around me cracked slightly, but not enough. With a scream, I was completely submerged in stone. The last thing I caught sight of was Aang's horrified face, and the arrow on his forehead that was glowing blue.

O~O~O~O

It was terrifying, being in solid stone – _and unable to breathe_. I had a sudden thought that I was going to die, and I didn't _want_ that!

"_Katara_? !" I called to her through the stone, trying to reach through it. "_Can you hear me_? ! _Katara_!"

"Em-ma…!" Katara's voice sounded so far away, but I sensed her life energy there, directly in front of me, and I forced myself to try and reach for her, somehow moving my hands through the solid darkness of rock.

"_Katara_!" My hand grasped hers, and I forced my body to move through the rocks. My lungs felt like they were going to explode, so I could only _imagine_ how Katara felt. I reached up with my other hand, trying to claw through the darkness, which worked.

My hand shot up through the stone, and then the rocks around us broke, and Katara and I emerged from the darkness, gasping for air but alive.

I looked up at Aang, who was glowing blue, and then at myself.

I was glowing _pink_.

I was surprised, but then both the spirits left mine and Aang's bodies, and rose into the sky.

With us…  
>O~O~O~O<p>

Aang and Roku were riding on Fang, whilst I floated alongside them with a woman I didn't recognize – but she looked familiar. Those hair-loopies…

Roku spoke: "It's time you both learned."

We were standing in the clouds, along with a row of figures wearing outfits from each of the four nations. I realized that they were Avatars…well, some of them were. There was also a row of women I didn't recognize nearly as well…

Roku said to Aang: "TheAvatarStateis a defense mechanism, designed to empower you with the skills and knowledge of all the past Avatars. The glow is the combination of all your past lives, focusing their energy through your body. In theAvatarStateyou are at your most powerful, but you are also at your most vulnerable."

"What do you mean?" Aang asked.

"If you are killed in the Avatar State, the reincarnation cycle will be broken and the Avatar will cease to exist." Roku said gravely.

I reached out and grabbed Aang's hand reassuringly, as the other Avatar's vanished, including Roku.

Aang glanced at me, and then we glanced at the women who were left.

"Who are they?" Aang whispered.

"I…I'm not sure…something to do with me, perhaps?" I looked at the row of women.

"That one there…" Aang pointed. "She looks kind of like Katara…"

I looked at the woman, and my heart thudded din my chest. "Of _course_! That's Kya, Katara's Mother…and, next to her…that's Fire Princess Ursa – Zuko's Mother!"

Aang looked shocked. "R-really?"

I nodded. "I don't know who all these women are, but I think they may be able to help me somehow…help me figure out my past…and my future…"

Aang nodded as well. "We'll figure it out together…somehow…"

We hugged…


	23. The Power Of Love

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

**Author's Notes: No updates for a week now, minna – because I'm going to Malaysia! Maybe I can even get some inspiration whilst I'm out there…in between all of the anime/clothes/shoes shopping and eating eel…I'll be thinking of you all, and may actually get to do some writing on Mum's computer on the plane!**

**Please enjoy this chapter, okay?**

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

The Power Of Love

_O~O~O~O_

_Roku said to Aang: "The Avatar State is a defense mechanism, designed to empower you with the skills and knowledge of all the past Avatars. The glow is the combination of all your past lives, focusing their energy through your body. In the Avatar State you are at your most powerful, but you are also at your most vulnerable."_

_"What do you mean?" Aang asked._

_"If you are killed in the Avatar State, the reincarnation cycle will be broken and the Avatar will cease to exist." Roku said gravely._

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

Yang-Chong strutted across the beach, taking big, slow steps as he stalked a giant earthworm that was crawling along in front of him. When the worm stopped and looked around, Yang-Chong would jump to one side, out of view. Then, the earthworm would continue on, and Yang-Chong would follow.

The earthworm moved out of the shadows, and Yang-Chong's shadow fell over him. The phoenix saw his chance and lunged forward, just as the earthworm turned and reared up, revealing a row of sharp, pointy teeth. The tables were turned, and Yang-Chong was chased back across the sand.

I watched all of this from atop a natural arc of stone, where I had scrambled up to the top of to watch Katara and Aang's training session. I could've joined in, but I felt slightly out of my league. Sokka floated lazily by on the world's largest leaf, with Momo sprawled out across his stomach. Lazy was probably the key word here, peoples…

It was a rather warm day, and all of us were dressed in beach gear – Aang in beach shorts, Sokka in just a loin clothe, much to my embarrassment. I mean, it's okay for Aang because he's a boy, and Katara because she and Sokka are related. But, for me, it was a little bit uncomfortable. Katara herself was wearing a sort of white two-piece bathing suit, and I was wearing something that had been given to me before we'd left the Earth Kingdom Base…

~O~

_"I'm sorry, Katara." Aang murmured into the Waterbender's shoulder, as she hugged him amidst the ruins of the base. "I hope you never have to see me like that again." She let go of him, and they looked up as General Fong began to speak. I stood up quickly, swaying slightly but more determined not to let Fong _anywhere_ near Aang and Katara again._

_Fong walked forward, and spread his arms wide. "Hah! Are you joking? That was almost perfect! Even that pink light seemed to add to the Avatar's power! We just have to find a way to control it when you're both like that."_

_Aang and I said at exactly the same time: "You're out of your mind."_

_Fong ignored us both. "I don't know what the pink light was either…I guess we'll figure out both answers on the way to the Fire Nation…"_

_Katara and I exchanged a glance, and silently agreed that Fong was insane…_

_Sokka suddenly rode up behind Fong on my old friend the Ostrich-Clydesdale, and bonked Fong on the head with his boomerang. Fong slumped to the ground, unconscious._

_Sokka looked around. "Anybody got a problem with that?" He asked._

_The soldiers all shook their heads in unison._

_Sokka dismounted and the creature ran off, as the soldiers approached us and bowed._

_"Do you still want an escort to Omashu?" One of the soldiers asked us, looking mainly at me._

_Katara shook her head. "I think we're all set."_

_Momo landed in Aang's arms._

_"Thanks anyway…" I said shyly, just as the priest came running (somehow) towards us, holding Yang-Chong, some sort of clothing folded neatly, and a big, heavy book, all of which he placed into my arms. "What the…what's this?" I asked, as Yang-Chong hopped up onto my shoulder._

_"Things that you will need, young lady," The priest told me importantly. "And things that you should probably take with you anyway. That book will tell you all you need to know…"_

_I looked at it, and groaned. "Aw man…it's all in Kanji!"_

~O~

I had the book open on my lap now, and was fanning myself with my golden fan. I was dressed in a yellow-ish gold two-piece bathing suit that had a sort of tube top and three-quarter-length pants, which I guess was one of the things I should take with me anyway.

The book proved to be even _more_ difficult to decipher than the book of Fire Nation Legends, if that was even possible and, every few minutes, I had to call to someone to explain what a certain character meant.

"Katara, what does the character for magic mean when it's used before the character for Kung Fu?"

"It means magical skill!"

"Thanks!"

…

"Sokka, is it redundant to use to characters for war and knight in the same sentence?"

"I can't see the book, so I'm just gonna go with yes…"

"Thanks…I think…"

…

"Aang, what's the meaning of the character that looks like a 'T' with two lines on either side of it and another line above it, and then a vertical line with a square in the top-middle part and a line through that square?"

"I think it means…wait, what?"

"Oh, never mind…"

…

I was surprised none of them shot me down from my rock but, then again, they were busy doing whatever it is they were doing. I absentmindedly played with a rock while I tried to decode the book, picking it up and twirling it in my hands until I accidentally crushed it.

I glanced at the remains of the rock, and thought: _That's not normal…_

Just then, Yang-Chong scurried up onto the rock and tugged urgently at my three-quarter-length pants leg.

"What is it, Yang-ie?" I asked him, thinking that maybe the earthworm had turned out to be some kind of leech, and looked around for it but it was gone.

What I _did_ see, however, was a group of travelers coming towards us from the trees, dressed in bright colours and singing.

"_Don't fall in love with a travelling girl, she'll leave you broke and broken-hearted…_"

_It's the nomads!_ I realized, packing up my gear and sliding down tentatively from the rock.

The travelers, who were singing and also playing instruments finally noticed us when Sokka's leaf-boat capsized, and he yelled out as he fell into the river.

The man whom I _knew_ was named Chong smiled and pointed to us briefly. "Hey-hey! River people!"

Katara seemed kinda of miffed at that. "We're not river people." She told him.

"You're not?" Chong asked. "Well, then what of people are ya?"

Aang shrugged. "Just…people."

Chong seemed pleased. "Aren't we all brother? Whoo…"

Sokka walked up, and I suddenly noticed that he had grown since the time I'd seen him by that other river. He stood between us and the nomads, and pointed accusingly at the, "Who're you?" He wanted to know.

Chong was unaffected by Sokka's suspiciousness. "I'm Chong, and this is my wife, Lily." The woman on his left curtsied. "We're nomads, happy to go wherever the wind takes us!" As he said this last part, he strummed on his guitar, but his voice didn't match the random notes he played.

"You guys are nomads?" Aang sounded interested. "That's great! I'm a nomad."

"Hey, me too." Chong replied.

"I…know…" Aang said flatly. "You just said that…" He and Katara exchanged a glance that clearly said they thought these people were a little bit strange…

Chong said: "Oh." And then he looked at Sokka. I suddenly realized how little Sokka was wearing, at the same time Chong did. "Nice underwear." The wanderer said.

Sokka came to the sudden realization that he was wearing very little in front of complete strangers. He grabbed Momo and placed him strategically over his body, before sidling rapidly away from us…

O~O~O~O

I had this feeling like I was in Bali. I don't know why. Maybe it was the warm weather, and the beach. Or maybe the music being played, and people singing. Or maybe it was because Katara was getting her hair braided by Lily. Or maybe it was because one of the nomads, a not-so-nameless guy named Shang, was a _really_ nice guy…yeah, he reminded me of the guys in Bali…I had tot ell him six times that I wasn't ready for marriage, but he was casual and easy-going about it all.

Chong was telling us all about the secret tunnel, a real legend as old as Earthbending itself.

He started playing his guitar and, under my breath, I joined in.

"Two lovers, forbidden from one another…a war divides their people, and a mountain divides them apart. Built a path to be together…" He stopped singing and said normally: "Yeah, and I forget the next couple of lines but then it goes…" He started singing again, as the other nomads began dancing, and I sang a little bit louder with him: "Secret tunnel! Secret tunnel! Through the mountains! Secret, secret, secret, secret tunnel! Yeah!" He finished playing with a flourish. Everyone Clapped.

"Hey, she was, like, singing…" Shang pointed at me, and I blushed.

"I-I was not!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, you were…" Shang smiled in an easy-going kind of way. "Sounded like the phoenix song…" He pointed to Yang-Chong.

"Hear that, Yang-Chong?" I looked at him. "I sounded like _you_…" He just looked at me.

"Yang-Chong?" Chong repeated. "Hey, his last name is the same as my first!"

I rolled my eyes.

"Anyway, we're _not_ taking the so-called "Secret Tunnel"." Sokka said firmly. "No way, no how…"

_That's what HE thinks…_ I thought, a little smugly...

O~O~O~O

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I left my Uncle alone for ten minutes while I went fishing. He was deliberating over whether or not some weird plant was edible or non-edible. My Uncle is sensible. I thought he'd leave the plant alone.

I was wrong.

"But where are we going to go?" My Uncle had red rashes all over him, and it was apparently going to spread to his throat if left untreated. "We're enemies of the Earth Kingdom, and fugitives from the Fire Nation."

"If the Earth Kingdom discovers us, they'll have us killed." I mused.

"But," My Uncle reminded us. "If the _Fire Nation_ discovers us, we'll be turned over to Azula."

I glanced at my Uncle, thoughts of my little sister who had tried to kill us yesterday flashing through my mind.

Uncle Iroh and I nodded.

"Earth Kingdom it is." I told him.

O~O~O~O

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"Okay, I'll give…Secret Tunnel it is…" Sokka groaned.

It didn't take us long to realize that, in order to get to Omashu, we were going to have to take the Secret Tunnel. Why? Because the Fire Nation shot fireballs at us, _that's_ why…

Even when Chong and Lily told us that in order to get through, we'd have to trust in love. Otherwise we'd be trapped in there forever.

And die.

I gulped. Trust in love. Yeah, right. That would be like trusting in the _one_ thing I knew absolutely _nothing_ about…

O~O~O~O

I didn't trust in love…or maps.

That was because the tunnels were changing, and I suddenly became _very_ aware that curses were real. I'd always thought my Nanna was haunting us, but _this_ was way more sinister. Tunnels that _changed_…like we were in the Spirit World again…

I also thought I saw things out of the corner of my eyes, through tunnels that arced off of the ones we were in. _That_ was an eleven out of ten on the sinister-o-meter…

Oh, and the Wolf-Bat was sinister, too.

Especially when it attacked us, and Aang had to use his Airbending to get us all to safety, before protecting Katara from the falling rubble. They were on one side of the rocks, and we were on the other but, Aang's Airbending had knocked me further than the rest of them and, when I looked up, I saw two tunnels that hadn't been there before.

I saw two groups of Sokka and Nomads, one on either side. My heart thudded. Which one was the real one? !

I heard footsteps behind me and, in desperation, ran forward to the path on the left.

However, no matter how hard I ran, Sokka and the others seemed to be getting further away from me. I was terrified. I knew I'd chosen wrong.

I closed my eyes briefly, and slumped down against the cave wall, letting the darkness of the cavern envelope me.

I was completely alone.

O~O~O~O

After awhile, I began to walk, hoping to find the exit, but the cave suddenly turned against me. It was bad enough that it was pitch black in here…my eyes adjusted to the darkness, _very_ slowly…I must've walked for about an hour before something happened…

I turned a corner, and saw someone standing with his back to me.

"Zuko?" I was stunned, staring at the prince standing in front of me.

He turned around, a huge smile on his face. "Emma! It's you!" he came forward to wrap his arms around me. "I've been waiting for you!"

I hugged him back, but something felt wrong. It took me a moment to figure out what it was, and I drew back sharply. "Why are you so cold?" I asked him.

He looked down at me. "I don't understand…"

"No…you're not…you're not Zuko…" I backed away from him. My heart wasn't pounding the way it usually did when Zuko was around. My skin didn't feel tingly where he'd touched me. This wasn't Zuko, but an…an…an imposter!

I turned and ran from the fake Zuko, but I could still hear his voice, and other pretend Zuko's reached out to me from the darkness, trying to beckon me closer.

"No!" I yelled, tears in my eyes. "No! No! No! None of you are Zuko! You're not Zuko! He doesn't love me anymore! He never did, anyway!"

"Emma…" It was just Zuko's voice this time, but it was bad enough, because his voice was laced with disappointment. "Emma, why did you betray me? You _attacked_ me…you turned against me, right when I needed you the most…"

"No, I didn't!" I sobbed. "Zuko, I _didn't_!"

"Yes, you did…" He accused. "You stopped me from capturing the Avatar…I could've been home by now…we could have gone together. Now I'm a fugitive…and it's all _your_ fault!" His accusations echoed around the cavern.

"No! Please, Zuko! Please forgive me!" I collapsed to my hands and knees, sobbing into my hands desperately. "Forgive me, Zuko! I never meant to hurt you! Please don't hate me! Please…" I whispered.

O~O~O~O

Presently, I was able to get a hold of myself, and stood up shakily, putting my hand out to steady myself on the cave wall.

It was an interesting experience.

"Ow, pointy!" I cried. I tried a different spot. "Eww, slimy…" I tried again. "Uh-oh, _moving_…"

I hurried away from it and, in order to drown out the voices I heard coming from all around me, I decided to sing. The song I chose also suited my mood perfectly…

"_In a perfect world…one we've never known, we would never need, to face the world alone…they can have the world…we'll create our own! I may not be brave or strong or smart, but somewhere in my secret heart, I know – love will find a way! Anywhere I go, I'm home, if you are there beside me…like dark, turning into day! Somehow we'll come through, now that I've found you…love will find a way…_"

I suddenly heard, in the back of my mind, not from anywhere else around me, but in my _heart_, the voice I knew as Zuko's begin to sing: _I was so afraid…now I realize…love is never wrong, and so it never dies. There's a perfect world…shining in your eyes…_

I sang along with the voice in my heart: "_And if only they could feel it too, the happiness, I feel with you! They'd know - love will find a way! Anywhere we go, we're home, if we are there together…like dark, turning into day! Somehow we'll come through, now that I've found you…love will find a way…I know love will find a way…_"

Tears were running down my face by that stage, but I didn't even bother to wipe them away. I was happy but also upset, because I missed Zuko _terribly_. The singing that had gone on today with the nomads reminded me of evenings spent with the crew, and I wondered what everyone was _doing_ right now…oh, that's right, Zuko was stealing from someone who'd just given him a free meal. Typical…

I smiled a little, and then giggled. No matter what he did, Zuko was always going to be my number one…the first guy I'd _ever_ fallen in love with…and been kissed by…nothing would _ever_ replace that…

As soon as I grasped this fact, the ghostly figures of Zuko stopped calling to me, and faded away into the cavern's darkness.

"Yeah, you'd _better_ run!" I told them, just as something poked into my back…a warm, leathery nose.

I froze, as I heard a snuffling sound behind me and, in that one instant, I realized that it was a badger mole.

"N-nice b-badger mole…" I stammered, my melodic voice trembling. "P-please don't eat m-me…"

The badger mole snuffled, and I felt it turn around. I decided to follow it, and it allowed me to keep a hand on its back as we made our way through the darkness. Badger moles are blind, so I felt like I was really connecting with it on this level, since I was effectively blind as well. I could only make out the outline of its huge shape in the dimness.

To keep it calm, I sang softly to it, in Japanese, because I felt like singing the song Future Gazer from _To Aru Kagaku No Railgun_. The badger mole seemed to appreciate this and, I hoped, it was leading me out of the tunnel.

As I walked, I felt movements in the earth that I probably wouldn't have felt if I'd been able to see. I was aware of my own singing, of both our footfalls, and even of the air around me, growing notably warmer. We must've been reaching the surface.

The badger mole stopped suddenly, and put its front paws on the side of the wall, making a small snuffling sound.

"Is there an exit there?" I asked it, and it seemed to nod, before getting back on all fours and shuffling off down the tunnel. "Hey, wait a minute, how am I supposed to get out?" I called to it. "I can't Earthbend like you can!" I told it.

Then, I remembered crushing the rock in my hand that morning. I looked down at my hands. _Or…CAN I…?_

I placed my hands on the rock wall in front of me, and took a deep breath. I tried to focus my chi, and took a few moments to centre it. Power welled up inside of me, stretching through my fingertips. I made sure to stand firmly, feeling the connection between my bare feet and the earth. I dug my fingertips into the earth, and felt them slide through the solid rock easily. The rocks shook and crumbled, but didn't break apart.

I sighed in frustration. "Oh, I can't _get_ this…!" I complained, and then jumped as something poked my back again – the badger mole was back…

It nudged me out of the way with its nose, and then I half-saw it rear up on its hind legs.

With a mighty swipe of its claws, it broke through the rock wall, and we both squinted in the bright sunlight.

"Th-thanks…" I said to it. "Though, I could've probably done that myself, you know…"

It just snuffled at me, and shuffled back into the cave, leaving me to my own devices. I exited the cave, and the badger mole closed it back up again.

Just then, I heard a voice yelling: "There she is!"

I looked up to see Katara running towards me, followed by Aang, Sokka, the nomads and…

"Yang-Chong!" I cried, hurrying forward as the phoenix jumped into my arms. "I'm so glad you're all okay! We all made it out alive!" I added, as Appa and Momo joined us.

The nomads smiled at me, and Shang asked: "Soooo…how did _you_ get out?"

I smiled radiantly, and sang: "_You've got to believe…in the power of love_!"

Everyone stared at me for a moment, and I blushed, hiding my face behind my fan. "That, and a giant badger mole thingie…" I decided _not_ to tell them that I could Earthbend yet…

Because I didn't know _why_, or even _how_ – I could bend two elements…

O~O~O~O

**No One's P.O.V:**

A young lady stood over-looking the city that had once been proud and mighty, but now was destroyed in some places, and over-run with Fire Nation soldiers.

No emotion was on her face as she looked out over Omashu, nor in her voice, as she looked up towards the skies and whispered: "She's coming…" 


	24. Escape From Omashu

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

**Author's Notes: I'm writing some of this chapter from Kuala Lumpur. If I ever get it finished over here, it'll be a miracle…anyway, I love this city…so, on with the story! !**

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Escape From Omashu

_O~O~O~O_

_I decided not to tell them that I could Earthbend yet…_

_Because I didn't know why, or even how – I could bend two elements…_

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

We were walking down the path that led to Omashu, though my feet were dragging. One because they were sore, and two because I knew what was coming. Aang was _not_ going to be happy. None of us would appreciate this.

"Emma, are you okay?" Sokka fell back to keep pace with me.

"_Yes_…?" I asked, suspiciously.

"Do you want me to carry you?" Sokka asked generously.

"Oh, _sure_," I replied, sarcastic now. "That would be _wonderful_."

"Great!" Sokka said brightly. "Then you'll have enough energy to sing for us!"

I threw my hands up in the air. Sokka had been saying things like that since we'd said goodbye to the nomads. Ever since he'd heard me sing _The Power Of Love_ (from Sailor Moon), and Aang had confirmed that I could sing other songs, too. It was starting to get on my nerves. I had enough things on my mind to worry about. Like, how could I bend _two_ elements? Only the Avatar can bend more than one…but, then again, I _was_ from another world. Did that mean…?

"Sokka, leave Emma alone." Katara admonished her older brother. She was walking up ahead alongside Aang.

"But…I _wanna_ hear Emma sing!" Sokka complained.

"Don't _whine_, Sokka." Katara said, witheringly.

"So-rry…"

Yang-Chong, perched on the top of my head, ruffled up his feathers, and shot a little fireball at Sokka. It wasn't enough to do any major damage, but it singed Sokka's ponytail.

"Oww! !" He howled. He patted the back of his head. "Darn it, Yang-Chong!" He reached towards the phoenix and, quickly, I side-stepped. "Hey, get back here!" Sokka exclaimed and, laughing, I ran off, with Yang-Chong clinging to my hair.

I misjudged Sokka's speed, though, and he caught up to me, and grabbed me around the waist. I was still laughing, and so was he, as we reached the top of a hill, and then glanced out over at the horizon.

Our laughter died instantly, and we both stared in shock.

"Oh no…" Sokka whispered.

Despite my preparations, I was still freaked out enough at the realism of it all, enough to call: "Aang! Katara!"

"What is it? !" Katara was still coming up the hill, followed by Aang.

I bit my lip. "Omashu…" I saw a Fire Nation flag waving in the wind. It was ominous. "It's been taken…"

_O~O~O~O_

I silently stared out at Omashu. I knew from the TV show that it had once been a large and proud city, but now…

"I can't believe it…" Aang murmured. "I know the war has spread far…but Omashu always seemed…untouchable…"

"Up until now, it was." Sokka intoned. "Now Ba Sing Se is the only great Earth Kingdom stronghold left."

"This is horrible, but we have to move on." Katara told us.

"No." Aang said firmly. "I'm going in to find Bumi."

Sokka said: "Aang, stop. We don't even know if Bumi's still…"

My heart lurched. _Don't say it, Sokka…_

Aang looked at Sokka, a hard expression on his face that I didn't like. "What? If he's still _what_?"

Sokka didn't meet Aang's gaze. "…around…" He said, evasively.

"I know you had your heart set on Bumi," Katara stepped in. "But, there are other people who can teach you Earthbending…"

"This isn't about finding a teacher," Aang told her. "This is about finding my friend." He sounded _really_ firm, now.

I decided to put in my two cents. Omashu was a great city, it was pretty high-tech (for this world) and I couldn't believe the Fire Nation had invaded it. Saving Aang's old friend was high priority now. "I agree with Aang – Bumi's his old friend. I'd feel the same if it were _my_ childhood besties. We can't just leave him here." I glanced at Aang. "Uh, besides, Aang will go anyway, so we might as well go with him. You guys in?" I asked the siblings.

They exchanged a glance, and then nodded silently…

Aang said: "Let's go…"

_O~O~O~O_

**No One's P.O.V:**

"There is really no fathoming the depths of my hatred for this place." A young woman with a large amount of well-coifed black hair walked in front of two Fire Nation guards. Her hazel eyes were expressionless.

An older woman stood beside her, carrying a baby. "Mai," She said quietly. "Your Father was appointed governor. We're like royalty here. Be happy, and enjoy it." She admonished.

Mai and her Mother walked outside with their procession, their torches easily lighting up the darkness of the night.

"I thought my life was boring in the Fire Nation. But this place is unbearably bleak. Nothing ever happens." The young woman intoned.

Famous last words…

Mai looked up as the rocks headed towards her, an attempted assassination, and then a figure came flying out of the darkness, pulverizing the rocks with…Airbending…

Mai looked at the figure – at Aang. He looked back at her, and a few moments of silence passed as both parties sized each other up.

Mai's Mother came to the conclusion. "The resistance!" She shouted, pointing at Aang.

Mai smiled slightly, and fanned out her arms. She released a hail of small arrows, to the horror of Aang and his companions, who had only recently snuck into the city, and now this…

Aang dodged the arrows and he, Katara, Sokka and Emma ran from the now pursuing Fire Nation guards. Aang was still wearing his red hat that hid his Airbender tattoos. Emma was wearing an Earth Kingdom-styled hat, a gift from the priest. Nobody questioned this. She and Katara both stopped, and Katara used her Waterbending to whip the guards off the ledge and onto the plaza below.

Mai ran at the two girls, her arms spread on either side of her. She fired another hail of the weapons from her wrists.

Katara created a wall of ice in front of her, stopping the arrows an inch from her face, as Emma shouted: "He just _saved_ you!" Mai continued her attack, and Emma cursed, whilst using her fan to deflect the stilettos, which made slight pinging sounds as they hit. "Damn it, Mai!"  
><em>That<em> stopped the girl for a second, giving Emma and Katara time to escape, running past Aang who turned to face Mai.

He caused some scaffolding to collapse between them, deflecting the one stiletto Mai managed to get through it.

As the dust cleared, Mai had another clear shot. She threw another hail of the knives, but the kids managed to escape through a tunnel door, though not before one stiletto hit Emma on the shoulder, causing her to cry out in pain, and her hat slipped down slightly to reveal her flyaway brown hair, before the tunnel closed.

Mai sighed, and turned and walked away from the destruction.

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

Luckily, the stiletto only managed to graze my shoulder, really, and no one else saw it, so I decided not to say anything about it, as the Resistance Leader led us to a large room, which was filled with other members of the Omashu Resistance. All of them were dressed similarly to me, in Earth Kingdom robes. I kinda liked switching between Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe garb…I also wanted to wear some Fire Nation clothing soon…

I stood next to Katara, my left shoulder aching, and Yang-Chong perched on my right shoulder.

Aang asked if King Bumi was with the resistance, and I closed my eyes, knowing what was coming next.

I tuned out, and focused on other things.

Like Mai.

I had just met _her_ – the girl who felt the same way about Prince Zuko that _I_ did. The stoic, noble girl whom I'd always hated and loved at the same time. She'd attacked us, but she wasn't a _bad_ person. In her defense, she'd honestly thought we were the bad guys…and, she'd _wanted_ some action. Looks like she'd gotten it…

This was going to take some careful deliberation. To hate, or not to hate? That was the question…

I missed Zuko like crazy…but would he ever like me the same way, or…would he go to Mai?

Would I hate them if he did?

"Suckers!" Sokka suddenly exclaimed, and I jumped. I'd missed most of the conversation that was taking place, but now Sokka was telling all of the citizens that they were going to come down with a nasty case of pentapox…

_O~O~O~O_

Ah, so the Resistance Fighters were leaving Omashu and, in order for them to do that, they needed to act as sick as Sokka had pretended to be before, when we'd been stopped by Fire Nation soldiers.

However, Aang had not joined to sickly procession, and Katara and I stayed behind to find out why.

Aang explained to us that he wasn't leaving until he found Bumi.

Before he left, I said to him: "Aang, I find that the best thing to do when you're going around in a circle is to break the ice." I hurried off before he could ask me what that meant.

_O~O~O~O_

"Emma," Katara said suddenly. "Your shoulder's bleeding." We were at the resistance camp, and sitting by a fire.

I glanced at it, and realizes that the blood had started to stain my robes dark red. "Oh, yeah…I got hit with one of Mai's stiletto thingies…"

"Mai? You mean the Fire Nation girl who attacked us before?" Katara asked, pushing down the sleeve of my robe so that she could heal my cut with water.

I nodded. "Mmhmm. She's the governor's daughter, and one of the Fire Princess' friends. You've already seen what she can do…"

"Yes, I have…" Katara muttered darkly, wrapping my shoulder up in a bandage, as Sokka came to join us, and I realized that Aang would be getting back soon.

"Hey, Emma," Sokka was dragging a random Earth Kingdom guy with him. "Lenny here wants to hear you sing."

Katara and I glared at him. "Well, _Lenny_ here will just have to wait." We said in unison. We exchanged a glance. "Well, that was freaky…" We started giggling. "Oh, wow…"

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Could you two _please_ stop doing that?" He asked.

"I can but I don't think _she_ can." Katara and I had started laughing by that stage. "That was _awesome_!"

Katara grinned at me. "It's kinda like having a sister." She admitted to me. "I think…"

I thought back to how my sister and I _used_ to get along, before we were teenagers, and smiled back. "Yeah, it is…" I looked away, and saw Aang coming towards us, with a huge white _thing_ walking behind him. I knew it must be Flopsie.

As Aang explained to us that he hadn't found the king, and Katara and Sokka hugged the depressed giant white rabbit-thing, the resistance leader approached us.

"We've got a problem." The man said. "We just did a head count."

"Oh no. Did someone get left behind?" Katara asked worriedly.

The resistance leader shook his head. "No." He pointed, and we all looked. "We have an extra."

All of us watched Momo trying to shake off the little baby boy, who was clearly fascinated by the strange flying creature.

"And _that_," I said, speaking more to Katara than to anyone else. "Is Mai's baby brother."

_O~O~O~O_

Yang-Chong was playing in the fire (well, _near_ it), which gave Momo a good opportunity scurry up to us, and crawl up onto my good shoulder in order to shake off his new friend.

Katara, Sokka and I watched as the baby – Tom-Tom – picked up Sokka's water tribe club and began sucking on it.

Sokka gasped, and snatched the club away. "No! Bad Fire nation baby!"

Of course, Tom-Tom began to cry. Katara looked over at her brother crossly, before whacking him across the face and placing her hands on her hips.

"Oh…alright." Sokka gave in, and let Tom-tom have his club. He didn't look happy about it, though.

Katara was in full Mother-mode now, as she said: "Ooh, you're so _cute_! Mmmmm…" She gave Tom-Tom a hug from behind, and he tugged on one of her hair-loopies.

The resistance leader spoke up: "Sure, he's cute now, but when he's older, he'll join the Fire nation army. You won't think he's so cute then. He'll be a killer."

Katara picked Tom-Tom up. "Does this look like the face of a killer to you?" She glanced at her brother. "_Don't_ answer that." She added. She glanced at me. "What do you think, Emma?"

I shrugged, which was hard to do with Momo on one shoulder and an injury on the other. "Sure, he's cute. I'm not good with kids though, so…"

Katara regarded me, and then said: "Here, trade." She held out her arm for Momo who complied and then, somehow, I found myself with the baby.

"What the…hey, wait a minute…" I was flustered, and sat down quickly on a rock. "How do I…?"

Tom-Tom looked up at me, and smiled. He had a couple of teeth poking through his gums. I smiled back uncertainly, and cuddled him closer. I began to hum, softly at first, and then sing: "_Twinkle, twinkle, little star…how I wonder what you are…up above the world so high…like a diamond in the sky…twinkle, twinkle little star…how I wonder what you are_…" I really didn't know what else to sing to a baby, so I just stuck with the good old-fashioned lullabies.

I'd forgotten about my audience though, and so then ended up singing _Mary Had A Little Lamb_, _Rock-A-Bye-Baby_ and _Brahms's Lullaby_, and they didn't know the songs but enjoyed listening to me sing anyways.

By that stage, the messenger hawk had arrived with the plot device, although he landed on my head, much to my chagrin.

_O~O~O~O_

Katara, Aang and Sokka told me to wait back at the camp whilst they went to make the exchange. When asked why, they said it was because of my shoulder, but I wondered if there was _another_ reason.

I stood on the hill over-looking Omashu, and then glanced at Yang-Chong, who was sitting on a nearby rock.

I pointed at the rock. "I should be able to bend that." I told him.

He chirped, and gave me a look that clearly said: Prove it.

"Alright then, I will." I replied, and got into an Earthbending stance. "Now…what did the badger mole teach me?"

Yang-Chong fell off the rock.

"I'm sorry, but I forgot!" I exclaimed, and then sighed. I sat down on the ground. "Oh, what am I _doing_? Should I tell Aang and the others I can bend two elements?" I closed my eyes briefly. "No…they'd think I was a freak…only the Avatar can bend more than one element…_unless_…" A scary thought had just occurred to me, and I tried to dispel it, because it was frightening to me.

Just then, I heard Appa roar and, remembering the fight, I decided it was time for me to step in. Forgetting my fear of flying, I ran back to where Appa was, climbed up onto his head, and took up the reins. "Yip-yip!" I called, and at once the flying bison rose into the air.

I resisted the urge to yell out: Fly, you logic-defying great beast of burden, FLY! We're coming to save you Kung-Fu Action Jesus!

What was I thinking, being scared before? It was fun to control Appa like this! Fly!

_O~O~O~O_

"Down here, Emma!" Sokka called to me, and I steered Appa down to where he and Tom-Tom were. Sokka reached up as I reached down, and he grabbed my hand. I yanked him onto Appa with me, and Sokka took control of the flying bison whilst I took the baby.

Down below, I watched Katara take on Mai and Ty-Lee by herself. Ty-Lee had just used her chi-blocking techniques, and Mai was about to throw a pointy star at the defenseless girl.

"How are you gonna fight without your bending?" Mai taunted her.

Sokka took the reins in one hand, and then used his other to throw his boomerang at Mai, knocking the weapon out of her hand.

"I seem to manage!" Sokka informed Mai, as we landed between Katara and her would-be killers.

Appa's tail knocked the two Fire nation girls away, as we helped Katara up onto Appa. I handed her Tom-Tom.

"There's Aang!" Katara yelled, pointing to the Airbender who was sliding down a chute _and_ battling Azula.

"We can catch him!" Sokka added.

My heart turned over in my chest. This was the first time I'd _ever_ lain eyes on the Fire Nation Princess, and I was every bit as apprehensive of her as I'd thought I would be. She was beautiful, with some sort of a dark and dangerous aura about her.

She was like a predator…

Aang said: "Hang on, Bumi! Our ride's here!" He sent on arc of air with his staff to try and knock the coffin holding King Bumi onto Appa. We all reached for it, but missed.

I tried extra hard, though, and somehow ended up joining Aang and Bumi on their ride.

Azula was still behind us, and I turned around in time to see fire in her eyes _and_ coming from her hands.

As the blue arc came towards us, Bumi strained in his bonds and caused a pillar of earth to rise up through the chute just in time to absorb the blast.

_O~O~O~O_

When we reached the bottom of the chute, Aang was angry. He wanted to know that if Bumi could've Earthbended all along, why didn't he just escape by himself?

As I listened to the explanation of the options in fighting – positive Jin, negative Jin and neutral Jin – I thought I finally understood what I hadn't understood before.

Because he was an Earthbender, Bumi _couldn't_ have fought against the invaders, but he also couldn't leave now.

I also thought I may be closer to understanding my _own_ Earthbending…

"And, who is this?" Bumi turned to me.

Aang introduced me: "This is my friend, Emma. We met up at the North Pole. Emma, this is my old friend, Bumi."

"Y-your Majesty…" I stammered.

"Hmm…" Bumi regarded me, and then smiled. "Are you by any chance an Earthbender, Emma?"

I froze. "N-no…?"

"Emma's a Waterbender." Aang explained. "Why?"

"Because she _looks_ like an Earthbender." Bumi shrugged. "Oh well."

I gulped. _He knows, doesn't he…?_

_O~O~O~O_

**Mai's P.O.V:**

"So, we're tracking down your brother and uncle, huh?" I asked Azula, as Ty-Lee and I walked beside her litter.

Ty-Lee turned to me with a teasing smile, and asked: "It'll be interesting seeing Zuko again, won't it, Mai?"

I glanced away, not wanting her to see that I sort of agreed with her.

"You'll have your work cut out for you," Azula said from behind her curtain. "Zuko's had his heart broken by a stranger – a small gold-eyed girl with flyaway brown hair…"

_Small, gold eyes and flyaway brown hair…_ I thought. _Now…why does THAT sound so familiar…?_

"She was killed up at the North Pole, though." Azula added.

"Hmm…_was_ she now?" I asked quietly, in an uncaring way. Only time would tell if this girl – if she _was_ still alive – was going to be a threat to me or not…

_O~O~O~O_

**Author's Notes: I apologize if this chapter seems disjointed…I've been having a little difficulty writing lately…I hope it still flowed together okay, though…**


	25. Flying Pigs And FoggySwamp People

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Flying Pigs And Foggy-Swamp People

"_Hmm…" Bumi regarded me, and then smiled. "Are you by any chance an Earthbender, Emma?"_

_I froze. "N-no…?"_

"_Emma's a Waterbender." Aang explained. "Why?"_

"_Because she looks like an Earthbender." Bumi shrugged. "Oh well."_

_I gulped. He knows, doesn't he…?_

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

"This is humiliating!" I told my Uncle angrily. "We're royalty! These people should be giving us what we want!" The very fact that we were outcasts from the Fire Nation was bad enough – but, the fact that my Uncle was practically _begging_ for these peoples' money was nearly unbearable! Especially when my Uncle began using his "charms" to get the money from women…

When a man carrying broadswords asked us to perform, and my Uncle complied, I was furious when the man told us that my Uncles singing was not good enough for one gold piece. Why, if Emma were here, she'd have these people offering up _everything_ they owned when they heard her sing!

When the man with the broadswords was sadistic enough to make my Uncle dance by waving his sword at Uncle Iroh's legs, it was almost the last straw. My teeth were gritted, and my were hands clenched at my sides. My Uncle didn't seem to care, but _I_ was beside myself with rage. I felt the familiar warmth spread up through my hands, the tingling feeling that usually accompanied my Firebending but, with it, I could almost _hear_ Emma's voice saying to me: _Don't you DARE! !_ She wouldn't resort to violence in this situation…what _would_ she do?

An idea formulated in my mind, and I stepped forward between my Uncle and the man with the broadswords.

He smirked. "What's this? You wanna have a go, cone-head?" He asked, referring to my peasant's hat.

Clenching my fists, and forcing myself to think of Emma instead of the situation at hand, I began to sing a song I had heard her sing awhile ago. It seemed like another life-time.

_Just one more moment, that's all that's needed.__  
><em>Like wounded soldiers in need of healing.<em>  
><em>Time to be honest, this time I'm bleeding<em>  
><em>Please don't dwell on it, cause I didn't mean it<em>_

__I can't believe I said I'd lay our love on the ground_  
><em>But it doesn't matter cause I've made it up forgive me now<em>  
><em>Everyday I spend away my souls inside out<em>  
><em>Gotta be someway that I can make it up to you now, somehow.<em>_

__By now you'd know that I'd come for you_  
><em>No one but you, yes I'd come for you<em>  
><em>But only if you told me to<em>  
><em>And I'd fight for you<em>  
><em>I'd lie, it's true<em>  
><em>Give my life for you<em>  
><em>You know I'd always come for you<em>_

__I was blindfolded, but now I'm seeing_  
><em>My mind was closing, now I'm believing<em>  
><em>I finally know just what it means to let someone in<em>  
><em>To see the side of me that no one does or ever will<em>  
><em>So if your ever lost and find yourself all alone<em>  
><em>I'd search forever just to bring you home,<em>  
><em>Here and now this I vow<em>_

__By now you'd know that I'd come for you_  
><em>No one but you, yes I'd come for you<em>  
><em>But only if you told me to<em>  
><em>And I'd fight for you<em>  
><em>I'd lie, it's true<em>  
><em>Give my life for you<em>  
><em>You know I'd always come for you<em>  
><em>You know I'd always come for you<em>_

__No matter what gets in my way_  
><em>As long as there's still life in me<em>  
><em>No matter what, remember you know I'll always come for you<em>_

__Yes I'd come for you, no one but you,_  
><em>Yes I'd come for you<em>  
><em>But only if you told me to<em>_

__And I'd fight for you_  
><em>I'd lie, it's true<em>  
><em>Give my life for you<em>  
><em>You know I'd always come for you<em>_

__No matter what gets in my way_  
><em>As long as there's still life in me<em>  
><em>No matter what, remember you know I'll always come for you<em>  
><em>I'd crawl across this world for you<em>  
><em>Do anything you want me to<em>  
><em>No matter what, remember you know I'll always come for you<em>  
><em>You know I'll always come for you<em>_

As I sung this, people began to gather around, and many of them even threw multiple gold coins to us, all of which my Uncle caught.

The man with the broadswords glared at me as I finished my song. "Well," He sneered. "At least you're a better singer than your Grandfather!" He tossed the gold coin to us, but I let it fall on the ground.

I looked down at it, and then back up at him. "He's not my Grandfather," I said, quietly, though anger was trembling behind my voice. "And, you can _keep_ your gold coin." I glanced at my Uncle, whose robe front was _full_ of gold coins. "We don't need it…" I took my Uncle's shoulder and quietly led him away from the crowd.

When we were out on the open road, I just shook my head in disbelief.

"Well," My Uncle said, conversationally. "If all else fails, you can always go into the singing business, Zuko. You know…"

"_Don't_ say it!" I warned him.

"Don't say what?" He asked, innocently.

"You were _going_ to say that if Emma were still here we could form a duo, weren't you?" I accused him.

"No," He shook his head, and then smiled. "But, that's not such a bad idea…"

I groaned. If only my Uncle knew how complicated things had _really_ gotten…

"I was _going_ to say," Uncle Iroh continued. "That the song you sang reminded me of Emma…don't you agree, Zuko?"

I sighed.

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"So, why _were_ you scared of flying?" Katara asked, glancing at me over her Waterbending scroll.

I cringed, and buried _my_ face in _my_ Waterbending scroll. "Well…" I paused, and then said: "In the world I come from, there's these things called air-planes – they're machines that can fly in the air…"

Sokka and Katara stared at me.

"What?" I rolled my eyes. "It's true, you know…anyway, so I was just worried all the time because, well, sometimes planes _crash_, and, well, people _die_, so…" I shrugged. "I also got air-sick, and _that_ was harsh…"

"So, where did you go when you were on an air-plane?" Katara wanted to know.

"Umm…we went toBali, when I was a kid," I smiled at the memories. "Me, my Mum, my sister, Nanna, Aunty Cheryl and I…it was actually fun…Bali's a tropical island with great shopping…" Life had been so much simpler back then…no worries, no stress…everyone getting along and being at peace with one another…

Katara glanced at me. "You have a sister?" She asked me.

I nodded. "Yeah…she's older…her name's…Sarah…we used to get along, but not anymore…she thinks I'm too immature…" I looked away, and sighed. "When we used to go to Bali, for example, we were always together, but now…I don't even think she'd hold my hand on the plane OH MY GOD! ! !" I fairly screamed, because Appa was descending. I gripped the side of the saddle with one hand, and Yong-Chan with the other. "We're gonna die!"

"No, we're not, Aang's good at this!" Katara assured me, although I noticed that she was looking a little worried. _That_ scared me, because Mum _always_ used to say that everything was okay until the flight attendants started looking nervous, and Katara was a flight attendant in my mind's eye at the moment.

"Hey, Aang, you takin' us down for a reason?" Sokka called.

I knew that Aang was zoned out, and that he would snap out of it, but that didn't make me feel any better!

Sokka made his way forward to where Aang was, and then peered down. "Oh no, we're gonna die!" He cried.

Katara rolled her eyes. She looked calm all of a sudden, despite the fact that I'd let go of the saddle and now had her hand in a vice-like grip.

"Aang?" Sokka grabbed the Airbender's arm. "Why are we going down?"

Aang shook his head then. "What? I didn't even notice…"

"_Aang_!" I wailed, now gripping Katara around the waist, with Yang-Chong hugged between us. "_Do something_! ! !" I was shaking. Why did I ever think I _liked_ flying? "_Now_…! ! !"

"Are you noticing now?" Sokka asked.

"Is something wrong?" Katara was being incredibly patient with me, as she patted my shoulder and spoke to Aang.

"I know this is gonna sound weird, but…" Aang paused, and then went on with: "I think the swamp is…calling to me…"

_Huh? There's a swamp down there?_ I dared to peer down there, still clinging to Katara. _Oh…so there is…and, it's rushing up to meet us…yaaay…_

"Is it telling ya where we can get something to eat?" Sokka wanted to know.

Aang shook his head. "No, I…I think it wants us to land there…"

"Good idea!" I called helpfully.

"No offense to the swamp, but I don't see any land there to land on." Sokka said, diplomatically.

"So?" I responded.

"I don't know," Aang tilted his head to one side. "Bumi said to learn Earthbending I would have to wait and listen…and now I'm actually hearing the earth. Do you want me to ignore it?" He asked.

"_No_!" I cried. _Oh God, NO!_

Katara, Sokka and Momo had different ideas, though.

"Yes!" Was Sokka's input.

"I don't know…" Katara blinked. "There's something ominous about that place…"

Momo took one look at the place, and grabbed onto Yang-Chong, who squawked loudly in surprise at being hugged by the lemur.

"See, even Yang-Chong and Momo don't like it." Sokka said.

I glared at him.

"Okay, since everyone but Emma feels so strongly about this, it's out-voted…sorry Emma…bye swamp…" Aang sighed.

"Ohhh…" I groaned, knowing what was coming. I closed my eyes and buried my face in the back of Katara's parka, preparing for the hurricane.

I only opened my eyes when I felt the winds hit us, and I was wrenched away from Katara.

All of us were screaming by that stage, which was pretty normal for four kids (and three magical creature) caught in a hurricane.

As we fell to earth, I mentally made a note to Christen the storm Swampy Cyclone Gladys.

That was my thought as I landed in the muddy water and, the first words out of my mouth as I stood up and the mud dripped from my Earth Kingdom clothes were: "_Oh_, I'm so glad I showered _first_…" The quote by the bird from Aladdin reminded me of Yang-Chong, and I looked around for the little orange bird. "Yikes! Yang-Chong's missing!" I realized with horror.

"Where's Appa and Momo?" Aang asked at the same time.

We exchanged a glance.

"Appa! Momo!" Aang called.

"Yang-Chong, where are you? !" I added.

There was no answer…

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

Sokka and I trudged through the swamp. I glanced over at a sinister-looking creature watching us, and then back at Sokka.

"Sokka! You've got an elbow leech!" I pointed.

"Where? ! WHERE? !" Sokka yelled.

"Where do you think?" I asked coolly, crossing my arms. Honestly, sometimes my brother could be such an idiot.

"Why do things keep attaching to me?" Sokka ripped off the leech, and I just gave him a Look.

Aang and Emma suddenly swung towards us on a vine (Emma was clinging to Aang and looking horrified). Appa, Momo and Yang-Chong were nowhere in sight, which was bad news.

As my brother chopped through the swamp vines with his machete, Aang said: "Maybe…we should be a little nicer to the swamp."

"Aang, these things are just plants!" Sokka saud impatiently. "Do you want me to say "please" and "thank you" as I swing my machete back and forth?" He continued to hack away, making me concerned as well.

"Maybe you should listen to Aang…" I said to Sokka. "Something about this place feels…_alive_…"

"She's right." Emma muttered nervously, glancing all around her and gulping when she saw a bird-sized spider perched on a branch nearby her.

"I'm sure there are lots of things that are alive here, including that spider," Sokka said, annoyed and gesturing with his machete as the spider was eaten by a giant fly. "And, if you don't wanna end up like that, we need to find Appa as fast as we can!"

"He's right." Emma admitted.

"I'm just saying, we should be more careful." I replied crossly.

"They're both right." Emma nodded.

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"Appa!" Aang called.

"Momo!" Katara added.

"Yang-Chong!" I was close to tears by this stage – I _hated_ being separated from Yang-Chong like this! I knew that this swamp was going to be a real test of all of us, and I wasn't sure I wanted to face it alone. First the cave, and now this…I was going to have issues by the time this quest was done.

"There's no way they can hear us and no way we can see them." Sokka said, diplomatically, coming to a stop suddenly. "We'll have to make camp for the night."

He was suddenly surrounded by a squillion angry swamp flies, which buzzed around him angrily. As he flailed with his arms and his machete, I heard him yell: "Aurgh! They're eating me alive!"

I groaned. This was going to be a _long_ quest…

_O~O~O~O_

Later that night (well, I _think_ night had fallen, it was hard to tell with all the canopy above us) Katara posed the question: "Does anyone else get the feeling that we're being watched?"

I gulped. Now that she came to mention it…I glanced behind me, and thought I saw something out of the corner of my eye, but maybe I was just imagining it?

Sokka, who still had a few flies bothering him, responded with: "Please, we're all alone out here."

_Oh, now WHY did he have to go and say that?_ I wondered, as he swatted at a fly, missed, and (the fly) turned into a shining orb of light.

We all shielded our eyes from the light, and then turned to see many glowing, sinister eyes staring down at us.

"Except for them…" Aang said weakly.

The eyes vanished, and all four of us grabbed onto each other, with me hugged between Katara and Aang.

"Right, except for them." Sokka agreed, terrified.

That made all four of us.

And, it was only going to get worse…

_O~O~O~O_

I was _determined_ to _not_ fall asleep. Yes, I was exhausted, and no, I didn't think I'd be able to stay awake.

My eye lids were falling, and it was harder to open them again after each blink. My head began to nod, and I wished I'd asked someone to stay on watch with me.

I glanced over at Aang, Katara and Sokka, and smiled slightly. I turned away. Then, I looked back fast.

Snakes were slithering out of the undergrowth that Sokka hadn't cleared away, and were wrapping themselves around the ankles of my friends! No, wait…not snakes, but…

"_Vines_…" I whispered, just as one grabbed me around the waist, and yanked me into the mist that I hadn't noticed before now. I screamed, struggling and trying to free myself. I didn't want to leave the others alone in this forest – _especially_ not Katara and Sokka, who would both see the illusions of people they'd lost.

I grabbed onto my vine, and tried to break it free. There was no water beneath me to Waterbend, just a lot of muddy and rocks. I concentrated on the rocks, and tried to summon up that Neutral stuff Bumi had been talking about. I wasn't fighting, I wasn't running…I was simply letting the vine carry me through…yeah, that was it…

I grabbed the vine with my left hand, and it (the vine) let me go. I felt myself falling, and gasped in shock, not because I was falling but because I had just Earthbended again. Or…was it Waterbending? _Plant_bending, perhaps?

I closed my eyes, waiting for the fall, and was surprised when a pair of arms caught me.

I opened my eyes slowly, and then felt the blood drain out of my face, as I looked up into the face of my savior.

It was Zhao…

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

I was walking through an area of the swamp filled with white flowers. I'd been able to use a Water Whip to free myself from the vines, but now I was on my own. I was calling out for Aang, Sokka and Emma, and feeling slightly scared, despite the fact that the white flowers and the mist were pretty. I knew that the others would be looking for me, as well, and I'd feel a whole lot safer if we were all together.

Then, something I saw up ahead of me calmed me down instantly.

It was a woman wearing Water Tribe robes. She had long brown hair and, as I walked closer to her, asking her if she could help me, I realized that she had the same hairstyle as me. My heart just about stopped beating then, as I realized that there was only one person other than Gran-Gran and me who wore our hair _exactly_ like that.

"Mum!" I began running towards her. Tears of joy were streaming down my face. It was really her! "Mum!" I reached her, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I can't believe…"

Just then, the fog began to clear and, like it had been lifted from my eyes, I realized that what I had thought was my Mother was actually just a tree stump.

I gasped, realizing this, and sank to my knees, sobbing. I berated myself for being so foolish as to believe my Mother was still alive…but, I just _couldn't_ let go of the thought…

"Oh, Mum…" I sobbed. "Why…?"

_O~O~O~O_

**Sokka's P.O.V:**

I hacked my way through the swamp, _determined_ to not rest until I located the others. I'd woken up, alerted by Emma's scream, and then I was yanked away by a vine that had since become subjected to me and my machete. "Stupid swamp! Dumb, ugly vines! Katara!" I yelled for my sister, and turned to another vine obstructing my path. "You think you're so tough, huh?"

I somehow became tangled in the vines then, and fell flat on my face in the mud. When I looked up, however, I was stunned to see a ghostly figure floating within a shaft of light.

Princess Yue's spirit stared down at me.

"Hello," I called, walking forward. "Yue…" I then stopped, and looked away, shaking my head. "This is just a trick of the light…swamp gas…" I turned around, my back to the ghost. "I…hit my head running away last night…I'm going crazy…?"

I turned back around, even though I was still scared, and walked over to Yue.

The angel of beauty opened her mouth and spoke to me. "You didn't protect me." Her accusation, though hauntingly faraway and echoing, was enough to send chills running down my spine.

I rubbed my eyes, and suddenly the shaft of light was empty. I turned to walk away, and there she was.

I fell backwards in surprise, and felt like a fog was being lifted from my eyes as Yue disappeared.

I stood up, shaking my head, and walked away…  
><em>O~O~O~O<em>

**Aang's P.O.V:**

"Katara!" I shouted, trudging through the swamp on my own, after using Airbending to free myself from the vines. "Appa!" I was trying to locate all of my friends, and having no luck.

Just then, I spotted two figures atop an earthen mound, and called out to them: "Hello…? Who are you?"

The one on the left was a pig with wings. The one on the right was a girl in a white robe, and she covered her mouth with her hands and laughed. The pig flapped its wings and raised itself into the air, flying away.

The girl ran down the opposite side of the mound.

"Hey, come back!" I called to her, and gave chase.

However, she was fast, like lightning, and I couldn't catch up to her. I thought I saw her on another mound but, as I was halfway through the process of crash-tackling her, I realized too late, as the fog cleared from my eyes, that it was Katara. We ended up falling together, and landed, just as Sokka dropped in – literally.

After briefly sharing our experiences, we began to wonder where we were, and where Emma was…

I also wondered why Katara and Sokka had both seen people that they'd known, but I was the only one to see a stranger.

I also wondered if Emma was going through a similar ordeal…

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I must've fainted or something because, when I opened my eyes, it was morning, and I was being carried through the swamp.

However, the man carrying me _wasn't_ Zhao anymore…it was…Prince Zuko!

I stared up at Prince Zuko, feeling confusion and almost panic set into my heart. He was here! I was sure of it! This was no illusion, not like back in the cave…or was it?

I must've mistaken him for Zhao at first…I'd better not tell him that, either…

"What are you doing here?" I asked him, as he set me down. There was fog all around us, as well as dirt on my clothes and mud in my ears…_great_…

He gave me a confused look. "I was just about to ask you the same question…" His voice sounded odd and far off, and he was looking at me like he'd never seen me before. "Not many people come through here…" He eyed me. "_Especially_ not Waterbenders wearing Earth Kingdom clothing…"

"It's a _long_ story…" I paused, and then gulped. "Uh…how did you know all of that? I've not spoken to you about this swamp before, have I my Prince?"

He gave me an incredulous stare, before asking me: "Are…you alright?"

I shook my head, and stumbled back. "N-no…why is…this swamp…it's playing tricks on me…y-you _can't_ be here…you're not him…you aren't him! You're not!" I stumbled backwards, and fell into the swamp water. I gasped, and struggled, flailing with my arms. "No! Aurgh! I'm gonna drown!" I panicked.

"Young lady!" A voice called, and I was able to hear it better now because the mud was being washed out of my ears. "Stand up!"

For once, I did as I was told, and realized that the water was only knee deep.

I frowned, and pushed my sopping wet hair out of my face.

That was when I realized who my savior actually was, now that my eyes were cleared of the fog, as were our surroundings.

"It's you!" I exclaimed, pointing at him. "I-I don't _believe_ it!" I was stunned.

Hue was still looking at me oddly. "Have we met before, young lady?" He asked me.

I shook my head. "N-no…I…umm…I'm a Priestess…?" That was the only logical explanation I could come up with. I just hoped that it would be adequate enough. "I can…see things…?"

"You sound unsure." The old man said calmly.

"Yes, well, I'm not terribly sure of _anything_ right now, am I?" I said sarcastically, stepping out of the swamp and trying to get the majority of the algae off of my clothes and hair. "I'm lost, my friends are all missing, I mistook you for my ex like I mistook someone else for him and it's all your fault!" I cried, all in a big rush, breathing heavily.

Hue just stared at me.

Just then, I felt something shift in the ground under me, and a vine tapped me on the shoulder.

"Hyaa!" I turned to face it swiftly, my hands held up in a karate-pose. The vine countered this by calling on reinforcements, and I brought up a water shield to block them, calling to Hue: "Please stop doing this! I don't mean the swamp any harm!"

"You may not," Hue told me, his eyes staring past me at something un-see-able. "But your friends…particularly the boy with the big knife…and your Bending friends cut at the vines…"

"They were scared!" I exclaimed, wrestling off a couple of vines, and thinking that maybe the swamp had a life of its own. "They really _do_ respect the swamp, I promise!"

"We will see!" Hue intoned, and then he was gone, swinging through the swamp on a vine, _Tarzan_-style.

I stared after him, and then decided to follow.

_O~O~O~O_

**Aang's P.O.V:**

"There's someone in there! He's bending the vines!" Sokka shouted, as we struggled to fight off the plant monster.

I didn't know how or why this was happening, but as soon as Sokka said that, I realized that we might still have a chance.

"I'm on it!" Katara yelled, twirling around gracefully and swiftly in a bending move she'd been practicing. The water around her sliced at the mask and the head of the monster in a Water Whip. More vines grabbed Katara, which was when I decided to spring into action.

I leapt up into the air and sliced down with my staff, blowing away the rest of the plant monster to reveal a fat, leaf-clad man.

Sokka, seeing his chance, rushed at the man with his machete.

Just then, another figure leapt out of the trees, and placed herself between Sokka and the man.

"Sokka!" Emma cried, as Sokka screeched to a stop, his machete just inches away from Emma throat.

"Emma, get out of the way!" Sokka ordered her.

"No!" She said firmly. "You have to listen to him! And, he has to listen to you!" She added, glaring over her shoulder.

I was angry, not at her, but at the man. Who _was_ he, anyway? "Why did you call me here if you just wanted to kill us?"

The man looked surprised, as he dropped the rest of the vines around him. "Wait! I didn't call you here!"

"He really didn't!" Emma added.

"Stay out of this Emma!" Sokka snapped, grabbing her arm and dragging her over to Katara and me.

"We were flying over and I heard someone calling to me, telling me to land." I told the man in leaves, who stared at me in shock.

"He's the Avatar," Sokka said, by way of explanation, as Emma helped Katara to free herself from the vines without actually snapping any of them. "Stuff like that happens to us."

"A lot." Katara added, stepping over to stand by my side.

"The Avatar!" The man was stunned, now. "Come with me…"

_O~O~O~O_

As we climbed the great roots of the great tree at the centre of the great swamp (and, by great, I mean _big_), we learned about this man. His name was Hue, and he protected the swamp from those who wanted to hurt it. Emma confirmed this story, also adding that Hue had caught her when she'd fallen, although it sounded like there was something that she wasn't quite _telling_ us…she kept fiddling with the yin-yang around her throat and blushing.

Hue told us that he'd reached enlightenment under the banion grove, and that (like me) he heard the swamp calling to him.

"Sure ya did." Sokka nodded. "It seems real chatty."

"See, this whole swamp is actually just one tree spread out over miles…" Hue pretended like he hadn't heard Sokka. "Branches, spread and sink and take root and then spread some more – one big living organism, just like the entire world."

"I get how the tree is one big thing, but the whole world…?" I was confused. I could tell by the looks on the others' faces that they were, too.

Hue said: "Sure. You think you're any different from me. Or your friends. Or this tree. If you listen hard enough, you can hear every living thing breathing together, you can feel everything growing."

I glanced at Emma then, to see that she was looking down, with slightly bright eyes. I knew _exactly_ what she must be thinking. That she wasn't _from_ this world…she was from a different tree…

Hue continued with: "We're all livin' together, even if most folks don't act like it. We all have the same roots, and we are all branches of the same tree."

Emma dropped her head then, and I reached out a hand and patted her shoulder. She looked at me, and smiled sadly.

"But, what did our visions mean?" Katara wanted to know.

"In the swamp, we see visions of people we've lost, people we loved…" Hue told her.

Katara nodded. "My Mother…" She whispered. She looked at Sokka. "And, you saw Princess Yue…"

He nodded silently.

Emma gulped, and then spoke up softly: "I…I saw…someone…someone I saw die…and then I thought I saw someone I love…but it turned out to be Hue…not them…" She looked down again.

Katara patted her hand sympathetically.

"Folks we think are gone," Hue spoke. "But the swamp tells us they're not. We're still connected to'em. Time is an illusion and so is death."

Emma gulped.

"But, what about _my_ vision?" I asked Hue. "It was someone I had never met."

Hue smiled. "You're the Avatar. You tell me."

I thought about this. I glanced at Sokka, and then at Emma and Katara, sitting side-by-side and whispering to each other about their ordeals. I said: "Time is an illusion…so, it's…" I suddenly realized. "Someone I _will_ meet!"

Emma suddenly swung around to look at me. "Was it a little girl, with black hair and a white dress?" She asked me suddenly, her eyes shining and, when I nodded, her face lit up into a grin. "OMFG, you must've seen…" She suddenly clapped her hands over her mouth, and giggled, much like the girl had.

"Who?" I asked her, interested. "Who did I see?"

She shook her head, still smiling behind her hands, because the smile extended to her golden eyes. "_You'll see_…" She said, in a sing-song-voice. It was annoying, but I was glad that she was feeling better now, though.

"Sorry to interrupt all this," Sokka said, standing up. "But we still need to find the guys." He said, meaning Appa, Momo and Yang-Chong.

I nodded. "I think I know how to find them…" I leaned forward, and placed my right hand on the tree root. I closed my eyes, concentrating. "Everything is connected…"

Through my closed eyelids, I saw my hand arrows begin to glow blue but, I also thought I saw some pink light as well.

"Ah!" I heard Emma exclaim.

I knew why, because she was seeing what _I_ was seeing – Appa, being netted by boatmen, and clearly losing his battle.

Emma and I stood up quickly as we were brought back to the present settings.

"Come on! We've got to hurry!" We cried in unison.

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

We found Appa easily enough, and Momo was also captured with him! But…where was Yang-Chong?

"Appa!" Aang yelled, jumping onto a tree branch and then unleashing a blast of air that knocked one of the Swamp Persons – Tho – off of the boat. He dropped the bag he was holding, and Momo got out and flew away.

Due shouted: "We're under attack!" He Waterbended a wall of water up at Aang and Katara, which they bended away from them.

"Hey, you guys are Waterbenders!" Katara exclaimed.

Due smiled. "You too? ! That means we're kin!"

Katara looked horrified.

Hue, Sokka and I joined Aang and Katara on the tree branch.

Due put his hands on his hips and smiled. "Hey Hue! How you been?"

Gue smiled sheepishly. "You know, scared some folk, swung some vines, the usual."

I spoke up. "Where's my phoenix?" I called to him. "Where's Yang-Chong?"

"Oh, the yellow bird?" Due tilted his head to one side. "He's…umm…being cooked as we speak…"

"WHAT? ? ! !" I screamed.

_O~O~O~O_

I sighed. "I should've known…you can't toast what's already been toasted…"

Yang-Chong, who was perched on a spit above a roasting fire, cooed happily, before swinging down bat-style, and letting the flames envelope him. His blue eyes sparkled, and he roasted the shish-kabob I was holding to perfection.

"Thanks!" I cried, blowing on it to cool it down before taking a big bite out of it.

I watched as Sokka got on the wrong side of old Slim, the catgator, and Katara had a conversation with the swamp people about her home.

I glanced over at Aang, who was seated next to Hue, in front of Appa and with Momo on his lap, and smiled.

Still, I couldn't figure out why I'd seen both Zhao and Zuko in the swamp. Zhao's death had been horrific for me to watch, but it had certainly been no illusion. He was gone, and that was all there was to it. And Zuko…well…

"_I…wanna see you again_…" I sang softly, smiling sadly.

"Louder!" Sokka called to me.

"Finish your shish-kabob!" I called back.

The others laughed at this…

_O~O~O~O_

**Somebody's P.O.V:**

I regarded the man in front of me thoughtfully, not allowing my eyes to show any emotion.

"Tell me again what you heard." I said slowly, carelessly twirling my beard in one finger. "_Slowly_, this time, so I can understand you…"

"My Lord," The man bowed respectfully. "I have been hearing many rumors from the Earth Kingdom, concerning the whereabouts of the Avatar. Some soldiers reported spotting him near the infamous Cave Of Two Lovers…and, then there was the incident in Ba Sing Se…your daughter reported seeing him there as well, and battling with him. But…" The man paused.

I glared at him icily, my golden eyes piercing into his red ones. "_Yes_…?" I asked, coldly.

The man gulped, and nervously wet his lips. "There are rumors that there is a _fourth_ person travelling with them…another girl, and well…" He ducked his head. "She has a mystical bird with her…a phoenix…"

I sat back on my throne, absorbing this new information. "There is only _one_ person I know of whose animal guardian is a phoenix…" I smiled slightly. "I may get the chance to meet this mysterious young priestess after all…" 


	26. Unloved!

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Unloved!

_I thought about this. I glanced at Sokka, and then at Emma and Katara, sitting side-by-side and whispering to each other about their ordeals. I said: "Time is an illusion…so, it's…" I suddenly realized. "Someone I will meet!"_

_Emma suddenly swung around to look at me. "Was it a little girl, with black hair and a white dress?" She asked me suddenly, her eyes shining and, when I nodded, her face lit up into a grin. "OMFG, you must've seen…" She suddenly clapped her hands over her mouth, and giggled, much like the girl had._

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"She would come from another word…_world_…and…with her beauty and grace, help rid the world of badness…of…of _evil_!" I smiled, and then peered down at the book. "She…would have…powers…not known by men…by…by _many_! So she…umm…" I sighed, and closed the book the priest had given me, giving up.

I glanced over at Sokka, who was getting annoyed at Momo for eating a spider right then and there, and then over at Aang and Katara, who were only just starting to wake up.

Just then, I remembered something. It was too late, however, and we were suddenly surrounded by a dozen or so Komodo-Rhinos, each one with a Fire Nation soldier atop.

Their leader had a short-sleeved uniform and a nose ring. He looked mean. Comparing someone like Zuko or Iroh to him would be like comparing Spongebob's snail Garyto that other snail, _Lary_…the vicious one…

"Give up!" Colonel Mongke ordered. "You're completely surrounded!"

"What's this?" Aang exclaimed, at the same time Katara cried: "So suddenly!" Like me, she was in under-robes. I didn't quite remember it like that from the TV show but, then again, this wasn't the TV show, this was real-life.

A long-haired Fire Nation soldier suddenly fired three flaming arrows at us!

Sokka leapt out of his now on-fire sleeping bag and, together, he, Katara and I ran for Appa. Aang was already in the driver's seat, along with Momo and Yang-Chong.

"Come on, come on, come on!" Sokka shouted.

Katara suddenly gasped, and stopped. "My scrolls!" She shouted.

A Komodo-Rhino stopped at the stump where her Waterbending Scroll was, as its rider twirled a halberd and then planted it into the stump.

Aang suddenly gasped as well, and looked alarmed. "My staff!" He gasped, and then looked angry, and Airbended himself towards the soldier.

I watched as Katara hurried to retrieve her scrolls, and then I noticed that I'd left my books behind. "My books!" I exclaimed, my melodic voice ringing with panic. I couldn't lose those – they were gifts (well, sort of…).

I hurried towards them but, just then, the Colonel got in my way.

He smirked, and looked down at me. "Well, well, well…what have we he-AURGH!" He screamed, as Yang-Chong flew right at his face and clawed at it. He flew back as the Colonel swiped at him, and then I gasped when the Firebending began.

Yang-Chong combated this with his _own_ Firebending, as I struggled with my two books.

Yang-Chong flew up, letting the fire streak past him (it nearly toasted Sokka), and then flew straight at the Colonel and clamped his beak around the guy's nose ring.

"AURGH! !" Mongke shouted, as blood came out of his nose.

Yang-Chong saw his chance, flew down to get me, and picked me up by the back of my night-robes, lifting me up books and all, and flying us both safely onto Appa, who took off into the skies with a command from Aang.

"Wait! My boomerang!" Sokka shouted.

"There's no time!" Katara exclaimed.

"Oh, I see. There's time to get _your_ scrolls, and time to get _your_ staff, and time to get _your_ books, but there's no time for _my_ boomerang!" Sokka replied, sarcastically.

"That's correct!" His sister said cheerfully.

"Oh." Sokka was depressed now.

_My_ biggest concern, however, was getting dressed again…then we could worry about the next phase of our mission…

The fact that the people in the nearby town _didn't_ like the Avatar…

_O~O~O~O_

"Sorry about your boomerang, Sokka." Aang said apologetically, as we stood around in the street of THAT town, waiting for Katara who was talking to a street vendor.

We were all dressed now, and I was eternally grateful that we kept most of our supplies on Appa's saddle. I was back in Water Tribe clothing. I'd added a cone-shaped hat to this outfit, and it was my disguise, like Aang's hat.

"I feel like I've lost part of my identity." Sokka moaned. "Imagine if you lost your arrow, or if Emma lost her shortness,"

"_Hmm_…" I said, Marge Simpson-style.

"Or, if Katara lost her…hair loopies." Sokka finished.

He was really depressed.

He was about to get a whole lot _more_ depressed…we all were.

_O~O~O~O_

Just then, we passed a stage and, on instinct, I slowed down. "Hey, what's this?" I wondered, seeing a sign. I pointed. "Katara, what does that sign there say? Some sort of contest?"

"A singing contest." Katara clarified, and my eyes lit up. "Do you want to enter?"

The thought of going up onstage in front of a town that didn't like Aang made me cringe. "Uh…_no_…"

A man up onstage asked: "Will anyone else be entering the singing contest?"

Sokka suddenly grabbed my hand and shouted: "THIS GIRL WILL! !"

"_Sokka_!" I hissed angrily, as I was forced up onstage by my so-called friend. "Is this some form of pay-back? !"

Sokka smirked, and pushed me up onto the stage with seven other people, and watched and listened as I beat them all, singing _Bring Me To Life_ – it was the first song that came to my mind.

_O~O~O~O_

Upon finding out that it happened to be a holiday for the Avatar (ha), we watched as the floats of Kyoshi, Roku and our very own Aang were wheeled into the main square. I was nursing a bag full ofEarthKingdomgold.

"Now, a torch; that's a nice prop." Sokka commented. "It's bright, dangerous…smells manly. But I'm not sure I could carry it off."

"Hey, what's that guy doing?" Katara wanted to know, just as said man lit the Kyoshi statue on fire.

With a 'yaaaa!', he also set alight the statue of Avatar Roku.

"Down with the Avatar!" The crowd chanted.

I stole a glance at my friends. They looked utterly speechless. Aang especially looked stunned, especially when the man threw the torch at the Aang-float, and it hit the right eye.

As it began to burn, I suddenly noticed that Katara was no longer standing next to me (Lightning-Katara strikes again…). She was running across the plaza, and had now jumped forward and Waterbended water from two nearby water caskets, dousing the burning floats.

As the crowd responded angrily to this, Aang Airbended himself onto the left shoulder of his own float and spoke up for Katara.

He took off his hat, and I watched the light from some unknown source gleaming off of his bald forehead.

"It's the Avatar himself!" Mayor Tong cried.

"It's going to kill us with its awesome Avatar powers!" The same spectator whom had spoken out against Katara panicked.

"It?" I muttered under my breath, as the mayor (snootily) told Aang that he should leave, as he was not welcome here.

Aang asked for a chance to clear his name, and the mayor (whom I didn't like) said that the only way to do so would be to stand trial.

Confident, Aang said that he would.

He also had to pay bail, which suddenly made me glad I'd won that singing contest, until I realized that somebody had stolen my money as I'd watched the burning of the floats.

"Noooo! ! ! !" I wailed.

They also wouldn't take Water Tribe money.

"_Noooo_! ! ! !" I wailed again.

And, to top it all off, my shoes were giving me a blister.

"NOOO! ! ! !"

_O~O~O~O_

Sokka opted to play detective, to help Aang prove his innocence. I tagged along, wondering how we were going to prove the innocence of Aang's former incarnation. I mean, _hell-oo_, this was in Aang's previous _life_! That's not his fault now! The mayor (and the rest of the town) didn't see it this way…

"This is the crime scene. "Mayor Tong told us. "This is the footprint of the killer, Kyoshi."

We were standing atop a cliff over-looking the sea.

"It was sunset three hundred and seventy years ago today that she emerged from the temple and struck down," He indicated to a statue of a sternEarthKingdomwarrior made of pink marble near the temple.

"Ooh, pink…" I whispered.

"Chin the Great." Tong explained. "After that tragic day, we built this statue to immortalize our great leader. Feel free to appreciate it, as your young friend is doing." He nodded to me.

"Don't mind if I do." I replied seriously, and trotted off to examine the statue, leaving Aang, Katara and Sokka to devise a plan. Over my shoulder, I called to them: "You should go toKyoshiIsland– you might find some clues there!"

"Will you come with us?" Katara asked.

I paused, and then shook my head. "Umm…_no_…" I didn't want to go back there, knowing that they _would_ recognize me. "I have to go hunt down the jerk who robbed me – come on, Yang-Chong!" I took off running towards the town, followed by my phoenix.

_O~O~O~O_

We tracked the guy down. How?

Because we heard him bragging. Yes, he was actually in the _tavern_, telling everyone how he'd robbed the singing star!

"The nerve of that guy!" I told Yang-Chong angrily, as we stood looking through the window of the tavern. My back was to the wall and I peered over my shoulder. Yang-Chong perched on my head. "What should we do? We can't just barge in there…" I suddenly noticed, conveniently, a mask shop across the street. "What the…?" I noticed a familiar-looking mask, and rushed across to the shop, dislodging Yang-Chong from my hair.

To the mask salesman (was he a happy one?) I exclaimed: "_Where did you get that mask_?" I touched a hand to the red face, and ran it along one of the curved bear ears.

The salesman swatted my hand away (okay, so he wasn't like the guy from _Zelda_) and replied: "That is a very rare piece I brought off some pirates."

_A-ha_… I thought, and looked up at him. "How much do you want for it?" I put a hand in my pocket to take out some Water Tribe money. "I can pay whatever it costs, just please sell that mask to me!" It carried memories for me, memories of Prince Zuko, of Uncle Iroh, of those times spent out at sea, and even of Princess Ursa. I _had_ to get it back.

"Hmm…" the salesman thought for a moment, and then said: "For you…_twelve gold pieces_."

My heart soared. "I can do that…" I extended my hand with the Water Tribe money.

The shop owner leered at me. "Twelve gold _Earth__ Kingdom_ pieces." He clarified.

My heart sank. "But…someone _stole_ all myEarthKingdom money!" I explained.

"Well, that's too bad then, isn't it?" The shop owner turned his back on me.

My shoulders sagged. I could see that he wasn't going to change his mind. I cast one last sad look at my beloved mask, before turning and walking slowly down the street.

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

"Sokka, do you know where Emma is?" I asked my brother, as we returned fromKyoshiIslandwith our new information.

"Hey, Katara, one case at a time, please." He replied, twirling his magnifying glass. "Emma's a big girl, she can take care of herself. Aang's the one in danger, anyway. How much trouble can _Emma_ get into here, anyway?"

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"Yang-Chong!" I gasped, as the phoenix flew towards me, carrying the red bear mask. "Where did you…?" I looked past him, and saw the angry shop owner running towards us. "Oh…" He was still too far away to see that it was me, since I had my hat on again, but _still_…

Yang-Chong dropped the mask into my hands, and I started running. I didn't stop until we were safe.

When we reached Appa, I immediately got changed, getting myEarthKingdomclothing out and disguising myself as the mysterious warrior again. This time, however, I was going to try a little bit of Earthbending – if I had to.

If I _could_…

_O~O~O~O_

That evening, whilst Aang was on trial, I returned to the tavern, this time in disguise. As I'd suspected, my robber was still there, on his eight glass of…whatever the alcohol _was_ here in the Avatar world.

I waited for a moment, and then drew my fan out from my robes. Taking a deep breath, and making sure my mask was firmly in place, I stepped over the threshold…

_O~O~O~O_

**No One's P.O.V:**

_I killed Chin the Conqueror, A horrible tyrant, Chin was expanding his army to all corners of the continent. When they came to the neck of the peninsula where we lived, he demanded our immediate surrender. I warned him that I would not sit passively while he took our home, but he did not back down. On that day, we split from the mainland…_

_I created Kyoshi Island so my people could be safe from invaders…_

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"YOU!" I pointed my fan at the one whom had robbed me of my winnings. "You stole from someone this morning!" My melodic voice rang out over the now silent bar. "I am here to strip you of your spoils, petty little man!"

The man looked at me in disbelief. He really _was_ small, with beady little eyes, almost no hair, and his face was turning rosy red because of the amount of alcohol he'd consumed.

"H-hey h-honey," Another man slurred, attempting to put his arm around my shoulder. "Wanna sssit with usss?"

I batted his arm away and marched across to my target. I held out my hand. "The money you stole, thief!" I demanded, sternly.

The man looked up at me, and then…he threw a punch at me! I was so surprised, for a second I just stood there – and then Uncle Iroh's words all came back to me, and I dodged it.

The crowd 'oohed', as chairs were suddenly pushed back, and everyone crowded around us. The man didn't waste any words, he just lunged at me, and I dodged him again, this time stepping behind him as he turned around, and grabbing the money belt from around his waist. I was very annoyed to see that it was a quarter empty – what the hell had he done, spent ALL day here? !

The man let out an angry yell and lunged at me again, this time hitting me and pushing me to the outside of the tavern. I was surprised for a second, before I flipped over and landed on all fours. I straightened up, as men poured out of the tavern, and the one responsible for all this pushed his way to the front.

"Give me back my money, bitch!" He said, in a surprisingly steady voice.

I stayed where I was. "It's not your money!" I replied firmly.

"You little bitch!" He grabbed a glass bottle, and chucked it at me.

I deflected it easily with my fan, before stomping my foot down on the ground.

"_She's an Earth Bender_!" Someone yelled, as the boulder (okay, so _maybe_ it was more like a _small rock_…) detached from the ground in front of me and, without even thinking, I used my fan to fling it at the drunken mob.

It flew towards them, and hit the man who had robbed from me, straight in the forehead, knocking him back into the crowd.

I was a little worried, because it could've gone straight through his forehead, but a moment later he got up, began yelling and ranting, and then collapsed, unconscious.

"Anyone got a _problem_ with that?" I asked, resisting the urge to call them all bitches (you know how it is). "No?" I held up the bag of money. "Well…_justice has been served_." I turned on my heel and walked into the sunset, knowing that they were all watching me, and _not_ knowing that I was being watched from afar…

_O~O~O~O_

I had meant to go and get changed straight away, but yelling and cheering from the town square made me change my course, and head there.

I watched as Aang was made to spin this wheel that would determine his fate. Such punishments included eaten by bears, eaten by _sharks_ (I didn't know they _had_ sharks in this world), pit of razors and bed of nails.

Oh, and community service, but that was a considerably _smaller_ wedge than all the others. I wondered if anyone had ever gotten it before. Then again, I wondered if anyone had ever done anything to warrant such a punishment before…

Katara looked terrified. Especially when the (so-called) wheel of justice landed on Aang being boiled in oil.

Just then, I remembered something, and whipped out my fan, just as a lit firebomb landed amidst the crowd, and exploded.

"We've come to claim this village for the Fire Lord!" Our good old friend Colonel Mongke announced from atop his Komodo-Rhino. "Now, show me your leader so I may…"

We all instinctively looked to the soldier with the halberd, who destroyed the pink statue of Chin the Conqueror (nooo!). Everyone tugged at his or her collar and cringed.

"Dethrone him." The Colonel finished.

"That's him over there!" A man in the crowd shouted. He pointed to the Mayor, who hid behind the wheel.

"You, Avatar!" He yelled. "_Do_ something!"

_Oh, how convenient._ I rolled my eyes.

"Gee, I'd love to help, but I'm supposed to be boiled in oil." Aang shrugged casually.

The mayor spun the wheel to the community service wedge and exclaimed: "There! Community Service! Now serve our community and get rid of those rhinos!"

_Music to our ears._ I thought, smiling slightly, as I watched Aang take out the halberd-wielding soldier.

As Colonel Mongke ordered the Rough Rhinos to take the town, I watched Katara and Sokka ready themselves for battle. Just then, I became aware of someone behind me, and turned to see two soldiers of Komodo-Rhinos. Behind my mask, I paled slightly. This was going to be my first battle against Fire Nation soldiers _by myself_ since joining Aang and the others!

"That's the little girl we saw Earth Bending!" One of the soldiers said.

I bristled. _Little girl_? I readied myself, and stayed perfectly still, feeling the energy in the ground beneath me. I wasn't so good at Earth Bending but, now, if I wanted to survive, then I'd have to rely on it, and _not_ on my Water Bending.

I saw Yang-Chong perched on a building behind the rhino-riders, and gave him a signal to stay put. He was very easily recognizable, and easily linked back to me. So far, nobody had recognized me yet.

The two riders charged at me at the same time, and their Komodo-Rhinos made the ground shake. Because of the thundering of the charging beasts, I was almost able to close my eyes and dodge (but I didn't). I just jumped up into the air, using a move taught to me by Suki and helped to perfect by Uncle Iroh, flipping over and catching the rider on my right with my fan. I knocked him off of his ride, and then spun around to face the second rider, who was trying to turn his beast around.

Smirking, I stomped on the ground, and focused my energy to create a small ditch in a pathway to the Komodo-Rhino which, under his weight, collapsed, trapping the poor beast.

The rider jumped out from the ditch, and shot a blast of fire at me straight away, which I just barely dodged.

He smirked, and began shooting even _more_ fire at me, which subsequently toasted my money bag. The gold coins spilled out onto the ground.

I came to a complete stop, and stood stock-still, staring at the bag from behind my mask.

"Uh-oh…" One of the men who'd been at the bar was watching my fight. "That Fire Nation soldier knows not what he's done…"

"Uh-huh, uh-huh!" The man next to him nodded vehemently.

"Grrr…" I found my hands and teeth were clenched, as I swung around to face to soldier. "You're gonna pay for that, big time!" I leapt up into the air, and then landed on the ground, stomping down hard and drawing up a fairly decent-sized boulder.

"Whoa!" The crowd exclaimed.

"Rock Wrecker!" I shouted and, feeling like a Rhyperior, I aimed the rock at the soldier, who aimed a fire-infused kick at it, shattering it.

"Ohhh…" The crowd complained. Then: "Oooh!"

Why? Because I'd followed the rock through and, when it was shattered, I grabbed the soldier's foot in my hands, similar to how I'd seen Uncle Iroh grab Zhao's foot all those weeks ago.

_This one's for you, Uncle Iroh!_ I thought, something burning in the depths of my soul, as I used the enemy soldier's own weight and force _against_ him, and sent him over the edge of the cliff and into the ocean.

"Wow!" The crowd cheered, and began to applaud, much to my embarrassment.

I'd never been particularly _skilled_ at anything before, let alone enough to warrant other peoples' clapping. I was glad that I was wearing a mask, because I'm sure that my face was now the same colour as it. Actually, my Earthbending _hadn't_ been that good. I knew that, and the crowd probably knew that too. Still, it was good enough to get the job done, and that was all that mattered.

I stooped down by my money, and began to gather it up. It was hard work, and nobody came to help me.

Just then, a something blew down in front of me, covering the pile of money. It was a piece of black cloth, about the size of a square scarf, with a light grey design around the outside, reminiscent of Earth Kingdom designs (except for the colour, of course). I decided to use it, and found it easy to gather all of my money into it, and tie it off with one of my red ribbons, leaving myself with only one for my hair.

Just then, I glanced up, and noticed Aang coming through the crowd toward me, calling something out like: "Hey, Earth Bender person! Wait up a minute!"

I did _not_ wait up, thought, and just ran off into the crowd, putting as much distance between myself and Aang as possible.

He _couldn't_ find out about this! No way, no how!

_O~O~O~O_

"From now on we'll celebrate a new Avatar Day in honor of the day Avatar Aang saved us from the Rough Rhino Invasion!" Mayor Tong was saying, as I stood in the crowd, and let Aang, Katara and Sokka be the heroes and get all the attention. I didn't mind, since I hadn't actually been _me_ when I'd been helping out.

As Sokka had his first experience with un-fried dough, Katara spotted me and waved me over.

I shook my head, and shrugged, but she was instant. As the fireworks boomed over our heads, and the confetti fell from some unknown force, I made my way over to them.

"Hi, Emma!" Aang said cheerfully, although he was looking at his cookie warily.

"I think I just saw one _move_…" Sokka gasped, pointing at the bowl of cookies.

"Are you going to take a bite out of it?" Aang wanted to know.

"Not if it takes one out of me _first_…" Sokka gulped.

"Aang's not angry I didn't help out with the fight, I don't get it?" I whispered to Katara.

Katara just smiled. "It's okay – you probably knew it would turn out alright anyway, didn't you?"

I smiled, albeit uncertainly. "Umm, yeah…I kinda did…" I replied, as Katara took a bite out of a cookie. She grimaced, though it may have been because of what I just said.

"Then you'll know," Sokka spoke to me around Aang. "That this is by far the worst town we've ever been to!"

"Yeah, I knew that, too…" I replied softly, looking up at the fireworks…


	27. When The Going Gets Toph…

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

When The Going Gets Toph…

_Just then, I glanced up, and noticed Aang coming through the crowd toward me, calling something out like: "Hey, Earth Bender person! Wait up a minute!"_

_I did not wait up, thought, and just ran off into the crowd, putting as much distance between myself and Aang as possible._

_He couldn't find out about this! No way, no how!_

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

We were all glad that Sokka got his boomerang back, really. Except, now he had this slight notion to start owning _more_ stuff, like the world's most expensive green bag.

It _was_ nice, however, but he was driving his sister _insane_ with his indecisiveness.

Eventually, however, he ran back to get the bag, and we moved on to more _important_ matters – like finding Aang an Earth Bending teacher.

I had been unusually quiet since we'd reached this town, as I was thinking about what would happen when we met Toph.

I knew that she would _not_ be what our group was expecting – a tiny, blind, _female_ Earth Bender…I wondered what would happen if someone _said_ that to her…

I snickered inwardly at the prospect…maybe I could trick Sokka into saying it to her…

I followed Aang and the others around as they discovered that Master Yu was _not_ the one, and Katara dealt out a little punishment to some obnoxious boys.

While this was happening, Sokka decided that he didn't want the bag anymore and, before Momo could get to it, I decided to adopt it as my new money bag.

"Where did you get that from?" Aang asked me, as I tipped the money out from my black scarf.

I looked down at it. "Oh, umm, some person in a red mask got my money back for me…or, something like that…"

Aang looked at me for a moment, and I was nervous. Did Aang _know_? _Eek_…

"Hey, Emma…" Aang mused. "Do _you_ know who my Earth Bending teacher's gonna be?"

I nodded slightly. "Well, _yes_…"

"Really?" Aang was excited all of a sudden. "You do? ! Who? ! Who is he? ! Tell me!"

"I-I _can't_!" I protested, holding my hands out in a cross shape in front of me (back, you vampire, back!). "Just wait and see – I'll let you know when we see this…person…"

"Hey, it's a person, right, not like, a badger-mole or something?" Sokka wanted to know.

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Sokka, of _course_ it's a person, although you're not very far off…badger-moles were the first ever Earth Benders…"

"Really?" Sokka looked amazed. "Bizarro world…"

I grinned. "You have _no_ idea…"

Just then, Katara came back and told us that we were going to Earth Rumble 6!

I thought about my cousin back home. He _loves_ wrestling _so_ much that he and his two year old daughter watch it _all_ the time. I smiled slightly. I'll bet he's never seen it like _this_ before!

Let's get ready to RUMBLE! !

_O~O~O~O_

That evening, Aang, Katara, Sokka and myself made our way down to an underground stadium. _They_ decided to sit at the front but, being wiser, I opted for sitting further back, with Yang-Chong perched atop my head. I rested my elbows on my knees and leaned forwards slightly, looking out at the arena.

Aang wondered why nobody else was sitting in the front row and, a moment later, a huge boulder slammed into the seats on their right, showering them with dust and debris.  
>"I guess that's why." Sokka commented, coughing.<p>

As Xin Fu, a strong and cruel-looking man with long, luxurious black hair, began to host the event, a guy sat down next to me and said: "Hey, nice bird."

"Thanks." I said, barely looking at him. He was a guy I didn't know, and my mind immediately screamed _don't talk to him!_ Stupid high-school influences!

"He looks like a phoenix." The man went on, and I chanced a glance at him.

I kinda wished I _hadn't_, because he looked like he'd been in one too many battles, probably involving razor blades. I gulped, and forced myself to look at the goblet of water he was drinking from instead. It looked like it was made of _pure_ _gold_… "Umm, y-yeah, he is…how did you know?"

The man laughed. "I've seen a fair few strange-looking beasts, but none like that before. I've heard about em', though. They're supposed to be Fire Bending geniuses, aren't they?"

Yang-Chong ruffled his feathers and cooed above the shouts around the stadium.

"Please, don't feed the ego." I told the man. "Anyway, yeah, Yang-Chong's pretty good. He's strong, too." I glanced down towards the arena. "Stronger than _that_ guy, anyway…"

"That's what I thought," The man said thoughtfully. "Wanna sell him to me? I'd buy him for a pretty good price…"

"Thanks, but no thanks," I said, my heart hammering. "He isn't for sale."

"But I…"

"No."

"Can't I…?"

"No, you can't."

"Don't you…?"

"No, I don't."

"Couldn't we…?"

"No, we can't." I Waterbended the water from his goblet around his mouth and froze it shut. "Sorry." I added, and scurried down to where the others were. I watched the rest of the tournament from there.

I was unnerved, though. I hadn't really ever considered the fact that people would want to _buy_ Yang-Chong…did that also mean that people might want to _steal_ him?

"Huh," I said, out loud. "As if, they could never catch him…"

"Yeah, that's RIGHT! !" Sokka shouted, although I _think_ he was referring to The Boulder.

Just then, it was time for The Boulder to take on the champion.

I sat bolt upright and grabbed Aang's arm so tightly that he yelped: "Ouch!"

"Oh, sorry," I loosened my grip, but then leaned in close to him and pointed to the champion. "Aang, look at her!"

"The Blind Bandit!" Xin Fu shouted.

Aang, Katara and Sokka all looked.

Toph was a young girl, younger than Katara, Sokka and myself, but maybe about the same age as Aang? She had a lot of black hair tied up behind her head, and milky-white eyes. She wore a simple but attractive green and white Earth Bending uniform, and a black and green headband. She didn't wear any shoes.

"She can't really be blind." Katara stated, uncertainly. "It's just part of her character, right?"

"I think she _is_…" Aang mused.

I grinned, the Avatar fan-girl in me taking over as I looked at the fourth (now fifth) member of Team Avatar.

"I think she is…" Sokka suddenly yelled. "Going down!"

"Quiet, you!" I hissed, elbowing him (I was sitting in between him and Aang).

I watched Aang's face carefully as he looked at Toph. When she began to laugh, I saw something light up in Aang's eyes – recognition. He seemed stunned.

I tugged at his arm. "Recognize her yet?" I asked him. "Do ya? Huh?"

Aang blinked, and then looked at me, then back at Toph, and finally back to me. "Is she…?"

I smiled. "Just watch." I whispered.

The entire crowd was watching in shock, as Toph dealt out the damage – and the pain.

A _lot_ of pain.

Every male in the stadium probably felt the pain as well.

Toph's Earth Bending was incredible. She was truly a master!

_O~O~O~O_

**Aang's P.O.V:**

I was in complete shock.

"How did she _do_ that?" Katara wanted to know.

"She waited…and _listened_…" I realized, glancing at Katara.

Then, I happened to look to my other side, at Emma. She was staring at The Blind Bandit with a look of complete respect on her face, her golden eyes shining. I'd never seen such a look on her face. It was like she was looking in reverence at a god or something.

It was _my_ turn to grab her arm. "Emma, tell me right now, yes or no, is _she_ the one? ! _Is she my Earth Bending teacher_? !"

Emma looked at me. "What do _you_ think? Does she fit the description?"

"Yes!" I exclaimed. "What should I do? !" I couldn't believe I was _this_ close to finding my Earth Bending teacher! Finally!

"To make things a little more interesting," Xin Fu was suddenly announcing. "I'm offering up this sack of gold pieces to anyone who can defeat The Blind Bandit!" He held up said sack of gold. "What? No one _dares_ to face her?" He chuckled.

Emma gave me a slight push just then, and I stood up. "I will!" I called.

I noticed the look of fear that crossed Xin Fu's face briefly, as I made my way into the arena.

Behind me, I heard Sokka shout: "Go Aang! Avenge The Boulder!"

And, Emma snapping: "Will you keep _quiet_? !"

The Blind Bandit regarded me coolly. "Do people _really_ want to see two little girls fighting out here?"

As the crowd went 'ooooh' at this bit of taunting, I held my hands up. "I don't really want to fight you. I want to talk to you."

"Boo!" Sokka yelled. "No talking!"

I heard a slap just then, but it was Katara who said: "_Don't_ boo at him!"

I took a step forward, and watched as The Blind Bandit smirked. She stomped the ground with the side of her left foot, and a shock wave travelled across the ground and caused a large rock to grow out of the ground underneath of me. I was launched into the air, but landed softly on the ground behind her, thanks to my Air Bending.

The Blind Bandit turned around, looking slightly…upset? "Somebody's a little light on his feet. What's your fighting name? The Fancy Dancer?"

I smiled and shrugged. Hey, it sounded kinda cool. I was suddenly launched into the air again by another rock. I somersaulted through the air.

"Where'd you go?" The Blind Bandit asked.

I landed behind her. "Please, wait!"

"There you are!" She declared, and I suddenly realized how she fought so well – her hearing and the way she sensed movement through the ground must've been exceptional! Because she couldn't see, her other senses were probably heightened by her lack of sight…she really was incredible!

She turned and raised a boulder, shooting it straight towards me.

I leapt into the air, turned, and Airbended the rock towards.

The Blind Bandit was still for a moment, before she and the rock were blown backwards and off the arena.

The crowd erupted into cheers, but I didn't care about that. I just wanted to _speak_ with The Blind Bandit!

I chased her to the stairs, and she was walking away from them.

I stood at the top, and called down to her: "Please listen! I need an Earth bending teacher, and I think it's supposed to be you!"

"Whoever you are," She called, without looking back. "Just leave me alone!" She disappeared through a door in the wall she had just Earthbended open.

"Wait!" I yelled, but it was too late. She was gone.

As I made my way slowly back to the arena, and I wondered how my friends would react to this. Katara looked sympathetic. Sokka was hugging Xin Fu and taking the money bag and the champion belt.

Emma, however, looked like she'd _expected_ this to happen.

"Hey, I never said it would be easy." She told me, as Sokka congratulated me. "Not in the _slightest_…"

Why couldn't she have told me that _before_ all this? !

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

Sokka decided then that he wanted his green bag back, so I surrendered it and instead put all of my money in the bag with Xin Fu's gold in it.

As Sokka showed off his matching belt and money purse, we all walked.

We found ourselves back at Master Yu's Earthbending Academy, which Aang said was a good place to start our search for the Blind Bandit. I hadn't told them her name yet, since they weren't supposed to know that until _after_.

"Oh great, _you_ again." A voice interrupted my thoughts, and I looked over to see the two Earthbending students Katara had frozen before.

Katara gave them both a Look, and they flinched.

"Yeah, I didn't think so." She smirked.

"Nicely done." Sokka said appreciatively.

"Hey," The other student said, looking at Aang. "You're the kid who beat The Blind Bandit."

"We need to talk to her." Aang told him. "Do you guys know where she lives?"

The first student shook his head. "The Blind Bandit's a mystery. She shows up to fight, then disappears."

Katara thought they weren't telling us everything, but then Aang realized that it was because they were asking about the wrong kind of person. When he found out about the Bei Fong family, and that their symbol was a flying boar, he decided to check out _their_ house, even though one student said that the Bei Fong family doesn't even _have_ a daughter.

_Ha, that's what THEY think._ I thought, as we walked towards the exit of the compound.

"Yeah, you _better_ leave." The first student said quietly, but not quietly enough.

Katara turned around as we were leaving, and put two fingers up to her eyes and then pointed at the students. "Hey, I've got my eye on you." She warned them.

Sokka had his arms out on either side of him, like an airplane. "_Water Tribe_…" He whispered, smiling.

I rolled my eyes…

_O~O~O~O_

We were spying on the gate with the winged boar on it, and Aang confirmed that it was the boar from his vision.

Aang Airbended himself over the wall, Sokka and Katara climbed over it, and Yang-Chong lifted me over with ease.

They ran across some open grass, and then hid within some very large shrubbery.

I followed more slowly, and then signaled to Yang-Chong to lift me up again. He did, just as the others were thrown into the air by Toph's Earthbending.

Toph, now wearing a fancy light-green gown, said to Aang: "What are you doing here, Twinkle Toes?"

"How did you know it was me?" Aang asked her.

"Don't answer to Twinkle Toes!" Sokka complained. "It's not manly!"

"You're the one whose bag matches his belt." Katara told him.

I resisted the urge to laugh.

"How did you find me?" Toph wanted to know, as Aang Airbended himself to his feet and the Water Tribe siblings stood up as well. I was still floating in the air, because I didn't want Toph to know I was there yet.

"Well," Aang said brightly. "A crazy king told me I had to find an Earthbender who listens to the earth. And then I had a vision in a magic swamp and…"

Katara interrupted him. "What Aang is trying to say is, he's the Avatar, and if he doesn't master Earthbending soon he won't be able to defeat the Fire Lord."

Toph stuck her open hand in front of Katara's face, in a 'talk to the hand' gesture.

"Now my problem." She informed us all. "Now get out of here or I'll call the guards."

"Look," Sokka tried to explain. "We all have to do our part to win this war. And yours is to teach Aang Earthbending."

Toph suddenly shouted: "Guards! Guards, help!"

Aang, Katara and Sokka looked panicked. Aang Airbended himself away and onto the roof, as Katara and Sokka ran around frantically. Finally, they each grabbed onto one of my ankles, and Yang-Chong lifted us all away to safety.

"Did I mention that recruiting Toph is _really_ not going to be easy?" I asked Aang. "Toph, as in _tough_…"

Aang, however, now had a plan…

_O~O~O~O_

And, Aang's plan was how we found ourselves eating dinner with the Bei Fong family.

Aang, Katara and Sokka sat on one side, whilst Toph, Mrs. Bei Fong and Master Yu sat on the other side. Lao sat at the head of the table, and I sat down the other end with Yang-Chong on the back of my chair.

I only half listened to the conversation, and watched Aang and Toph's slightly childish antics as well. It had been awhile since I'd been around a family like this before. Looking at Toph with her parents, I knew that they loved her, despite not being wise to her true powers. I wondered if that's what _my_ parents had been doing…trying to protect me, yet help me along as best they could. There was no _guide_ to be being a parent, and maybe…maybe they'd just been doing what _they_ thought was right…

Yeah, like locking me out of my room, threatening to make me sleep in the shed, yelling at me, grabbing my arm and shaking me, slapping me across the face…how was _that_ supposed to help? ! I stabbed at my rice with my chopsticks, feeling a little unhappy.

My parents…no matter what, I _did_ miss them…I wondered if they'd given up looking for me by now…

Maybe they'd _never_ stop trying to find me again…parents were like that…

_O~O~O~O_

Later that night, I went for a walk by myself, through the spacious and luxurious gardens of the Bei Fongs' estate.

The full moon glittered overhead, as I walked slowly through the grounds in my bare feet, and I sang softly to myself.

"_Somewhere out there, beneath the pale moonlight…someone's thinking of me, and loving me tonight…somewhere out there, someone's saying a prayer…that we'll find one another…in that big somewhere out there_…"

I didn't know if I was singing about my family or about Prince Zuko and Uncle Iroh. Either way, I was a little bit upset.

I looked at my reflection in the water, and was surprised to find only half of me could be seen.

"Oh my Lord…" I whispered, tears welling up in my eyes. I guess I was just a bit emotional right now. Just then, my necklace came free from around my neck, and I jumped into the small brook to save it, clinging onto the edge of the bridge with one hand. "Phew…" I whispered, and then cringed, as I heard Aang and Toph approaching.

"Even though I was born blind, I've never had a problem seeing." Toph was saying, and I heard the pride in her voice as she spoke about her element. "I see with Earthbending. It's kind of like seeing with my feet. I can feel the vibrations in the earth, and I can see where everything is. You, that tree, even those ants."

I hung from the bottom of the bridge, hardly daring to breathe. I wasn't eavesdropping, really. Aang and Toph just needed to talk about this by themselves, so that they could reach a better understanding of one another.

Just then, I heard Toph say: "We're being ambushed." And then I heard them running and…the steady flap of wings!

Oh no! Yang-Chong was with them also!

I somehow managed to swing myself back over and up onto the bridge, and took off running after them but, when I got there, it was too late.

All that was there was a note and…a single golden feather. I couldn't read the note, but the golden feather was proof enough for me.

I picked it up, and then burst into tears…

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

Aang and Toph hadn't returned yet, and we were starting to get worried. We went to search for them, and Emma, and found her in the garden. She was on her knees, and sobbing, next to two large impressions in the ground. A scroll lay open on the ground beside her, as well as a single golden feather.

Since Emma seemed in no state to tell us what had happened, _I_ read the note aloud.

"If you want to see your daughter again, bring five hundred gold pieces to the arena." I read. "It's signed Xin Fu and The Boulder."

"I can't believe it." Sokka said somberly. He then grabbed the scroll, ran forward and fell to his knees, holding the scroll above his head. "I have The Boulder's autograph!"

Yes, my brother is an idiot.

"Master Yu," Lao turned to the Earthbending teacher. "I need you to help get my daughter back."

"We're going with you." I said to Toph's Father.

Emma stood up then, tears still on her face, but a determined look in her eyes. "Me too. They took Yang-Chong, and I'm going to get him back!" I put a hand on her shoulder. "Oh, and Aang and your daughter, too." She added, as an afterthought.

"Poor Toph." Mrs. Bei Fong sniffled, kneeling down and clasping her hands. "She must be so scared."

Emma coughed slightly. "Umm, I'm sure she's…_coping_…" She coughed again. "Sorta…"

_O~O~O~O_

We entered the arena, to find Toph yelling at Xin Fu and The Boulder from all the way up in her cage. Aang was in the cage next to her, but I didn't see Yang-Chong anywhere. My heart hammered in my chest. _Where is he? !_

Sokka held up the green bag, which contained Xin Fu's money, and Yu kicked it over to Xin Fu with an Earthbending move.

However, Xin Fu was only going to let _Toph_ go, because he thought the Fire Nation would pay a hefty price for the Avatar. He was probably right…

As Katara and Sokka ran to get Toph to come back and fight, proving her overprotective parents wrong once and for all, I turned to Xin Fu.

"Where is Yang-Chong? !" I demanded to know.

"Who?" Xin Fu smirked.

"My phoenix!" I yelled, my fists clenched at my sides. My heart was still pounding away like mad, and wouldn't settle down until I knew he was safe! "He's golden yellow, is about _this_ tall," (I motioned with my hands). "He has a long tail and blue eyes, and he was with _Aang_ when you kidnapped him!" I was nearly hysterical. "Now what have you _done_ with him? !"

Xin Fu nodded. "_Ah_, yes, well, I found a buyer for him…though, he may be willing to…"

I was up onto the stage in a second, and there was a slight pink glow about my eyes as I said angrily: "_Where is he_? !"

"He should be getting out of town by now," Xin Fu said carelessly, stepping back from me. "You can't miss him, he has a scarred face…"

_The man from before…_ I realized, and looked up at Aang.

"I'll be okay!" He shouted down to me, as Toph returned to take on the other Earthbenders. "Just get to Yang-Chong!"

"I will!" I yelled back up to him, before charging off towards the exit. "Good luck, Toph!" I added, as I sped on past her.

"Huh," She scoffed. "I don't believe in luck…"

_O~O~O~O_

"HOLD IT!" I shouted, pointing to the man at the gates.

He turned around, to show his grizzled face. He had Yang-Chong in a fire-proof cage, and the phoenix's beak was tied shut, infuriating me.

I held up the bag in my left hand and, from behind my red mask, said: "Mister, I want to _buy_ that rare creature from you!" My voice was muffled by a bandage I had wrapped around my mouth, but my eyes were flashing, trained on the man who had robbed me – I knew that he'd asked Xin Fu to steal Yang-Chong for him…I just _knew_ it! "Will you sell him to me?"

The man with the scarred face paused, and then said: "Why should I? How much are you offering me?"

"Why don't you take a look?" I asked, holding the bag out to him.

He looked at me suspiciously, and then came forward, still regarding me cautiously. "Who the hell are you, anyway?"

He took the bag from me and opened it up to inspect it. "What the…? !"

I Earthbended the rocks inside the bag at him, trapping him in a maelstrom of dirt and pebbles, as I withdrew my fan, lunged forward, and used it to smartly chop his hand holding the cage, which he dropped.

It opened up and Yang-Chong fell out. I immediately stooped down to untie his beak, and then we both turned to face the man.

"Ready, Yang-Chong?" I asked him, and he nodded, before perching atop my head and sending a stream of fire at the scarred man which, when coupled with the rocks I Earthbended at him, sent him flying into the air.

"Oh yeah!" I cheered, pumping a fist into the air as Yang-Chong squawked in triumph. "Don't miss with the Crimson Duo!"

I kinda _liked_ this whole fighting thing!

_O~O~O~O_

I managed to make it back to Appa, and stow my mask away, before Aang and the others got back.

"How'd it go?" I called to them, and then noticed the looks on their faces. "What happened?"

"Toph's Dad got even _stricter_ after he saw what she could do," Katara told me. "He _definitely_ won't let her come with us…"

I glanced over towards the trees. "I wouldn't be so sure about that if I was you, Katara…" I said, mysteriously, just as Toph ran into the glade. "There, ya see?" I smiled.

"Toph!" Aang's eyes were full of wonder. "What are you doing here?"

"My Dad changed his mind!" Toph lied, although I was the only other one who knew that she was lying. "He said I was free to travel the world!"

Sokka and Katara exchanged a glance, and then the brother said: "Well, we'd better get out of here – before your Dad changes his mind again!"

"Good idea." The blind girl agreed.

"You're gonna be a great teacher, Toph." Aang exclaimed.

Toph said: "Speaking of which, I want to show you something…" She sounded sly.

"Okay." Aang Airbended himself onto the ground in front of her, and she tapped the ground with her foot and caused a rock to throw Aang into the air. He landed in a nearby tree and hung there by one foot.

"Now we're even." Toph stated firmly, crossing her arms.

"I like her." Katara said to me.

"Me too." I agreed.

Toph then held her hand up to Sokka. "Um, I'll take the belt back." She said to him.

Sokka took off the winner's belt and dropped it to her. It hit her on the head and knocked her out flat onto the floor.

"Ow!" She complained.

"Sorry." Sokka apologized contritely.

Gravity chose that moment to kick in, and Aang landed on the ground as well…

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

Something on the ground caught my attention, and I hurried over to it and picked it up before it could be blown away in the breeze. I'll never know what made me want to look at it, but I was _extremely_ glad that I chose to…

It was a Wanted Poster and, as I read it, my heart began to hammer in my chest. I was in utter disbelief.

Wanted:

The Red Bear.

This fugitive knows Earthbending.

She can create boulders and trenches.

Untrained but dangerous!

Hunters be very cautious!

There was a picture, as well.

It was of the _exact_ same red mask that Emma had worn when she'd helped me to free the Avatar. But…Emma was a _Water_bender, not an _Earth_bender…_wasn't_ she?

Then again…she _did_ come from another world…

She was also…I bit my lip slightly, feeling weaker all of a sudden. She was a priestess…_the_ priestess…I was sure of it…the one I had heard about from stories, ever since I was a kid…

The one I had been dreaming about forever…

And, I'd let her get away…


	28. Never Gonna Be Alone…

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Never Gonna Be Alone…

_"My Dad changed his mind!" Toph lied, although I was the only other one who knew that she was lying. "He said I was free to travel the world!"_

_Sokka and Katara exchanged a glance, and then the brother said: "Well, we'd better get out of here – before your Dad changes his mind again!"_

_"Good idea." The blind girl agreed._

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I was going it alone. I wasn't entirely sure _why_ I'd come to the decision to separate myself from my Uncle. Maybe I was trying to forget where I came from, and it was just easier to do with only one person around. Or, perhaps I wanted to find my own way, and do it alone.

Maybe I didn't _have_ a reason for doing it this way.

Maybe I didn't care…

Still, when nice strangers offer you food and shelter…it's kinda hard to say no…even if a certain young child's questions _did_ stir up some painful memories for me…

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

_A young boy sat beside an older woman by a pond. The boy, who was about ten, had golden eyes and a young but noble face. He wore robes of red. The woman was also dressed in red, and her long black hair mostly hung down her back, save for the part in which she pulled into a bun, and adorned with a gold clip._

_"Hey, Mum," The young boy held a rock in his hand. "Wanna see how Azula feeds turtle-ducks?"_

_There were a number of little baby turtle-ducks swimming in the pond, as well as their Mother._

_The young boy threw a rock at one of the babies. It disappeared underneath the water._

_"Zuko!" The older woman exclaimed, shocked. "Why would you do that?"_

_The baby, whose shell had protected it from the rock, bobbed back up to the surface, just as its Mother swam up to check to see if it was alright. Once she was certain, she turned on the young boy, jumping up and biting his foot._

_The young boy yelled in pain, as his Mother came to the rescue, gently removing the Mother turtle-duck and returning her to the water. She squawked loudly, and swam off, followed by her babies._

_"Stupid turtle-duck," The young boy grumbled. "Why'd she do that?"_

_His Mother looked at him for a moment, before putting her arms around him and saying: "Zuko, that's what Mum's are like. If you mess with their babies," She mimed biting, and Zuko laughed. "They'll bite you back!"_

_Mother and son laughed together…_

_O~O~O~O_

_In that same courtyard, a little girl who vaguely resembled the young boy cart-wheeled a few times and flipped, but landed on the grass ungracefully at the end. She looked annoyed, especially when her best friend, a girl with her brown hair tied into a braid, flipped and twirled gracefully and – more to the point – successfully, through the air, and landed perfectly. The first young girl, of course, tripped her up. She laughed._

_"A-zu-la!" The brunette exclaimed, in mock annoyance. She couldn't get _too_ angry, after all, since this was her best friend. Oh, and crown-princess of the Fire Nation. That too…_

_Their other best friend, a dark-haired, quiet girl, sat by herself under a tree. She looked up when she saw the young boy walking with his Mother, and then turned away, blushing._

_Noticing this, the first little girl smirked a child-like smirk, and whispered: "Watch this." To the brunette. She ran over to the boy and his Mother, and said: "Mum, can you make Zuko play with us? We need equal teams to play a game…"_

_"I am NOT cart-wheeling." Her brother said stubbornly._

_"You won't have to." She replied, rolling her eyes. "Cart-wheeling's not a game…dumb-dumb…" She muttered under her breath._

_Their Mother chose to ignore this._

_"I don't care. I don't want to play with you." The young boy crossed his arms._

_The young girl pouted. "We are brother and sister." Her voice took on a sweeter tone. "It's important for us to spend time together. Don't you think so, Mum?"_

_The Mother wondered if her daughter was being sincere and, being a Mother, decided to believe the best in her little girl. "Yes, darling," She smiled at her son. "I think it's a good idea to play with your sister. Go on now, just for a little while."_

_The son didn't seem to happy about this, but he complied. His sister plucked an apple from a tree, and said: "Here's the way it goes," She placed the apple on the head of her stoic, quiet best friend. "Now, what you do is try to knock the apple off the other person's head. Like this."_

_Despite the look on the other girl's face, the sister raised a hand and, using her special power, caused the stem of the apple to catch on fire._

_The brother, thinking the other girl was in danger, leapt forward to save her, only causing them to crash into the nearby fountain with a splash, as his sister grinned in triumph and her brunette friend laughed._

_"See, I _told_ you it would work." The sister said._

_"Aw," The brunette agreed. "They're so cute together." Her words were sincere, and innocent, but they were embarrassing to the two now soaking wet._

_The victimized girl looked scandalized, and then stood up quickly. "You two are such…ugh!" She said, without any expression but _clearly_ showing her displeasure._

_The boy had stormed off, and soon proclaimed to his Mother that girls were crazy!_

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I actually _dreamed_ about my past that night, as I lay asleep in the barn belonging to Lee's family. I didn't know why, but I thought it must mean _something_. For some strange reason, though, being reminded of me falling on top of Mai reminded me of when Emma had jumped on top of me, when she'd first come into this world. The strange feeling in my chest and stomach at the thought of Emma woke me up, just as Lee came in and "borrowed" my broadswords.

The same broadswords I'd taken from the man who had insulted my Uncle Iroh before. As the Blue Spirit (or, so they called me), I'd dealt swift justice to him. I hadn't killed him, of course.

I knew better than to do that…

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

Sokka, Katara, Aang, Toph and I were all silent, as Appa flew along. It felt like we'd been silent for about an hour, but really it had only been two minutes.

Why? Because the siblings and Aang had already finished telling Toph all about themselves (well, for the most part) and now it was my turn.

The trouble was, I didn't know where to start.

"You don't seem like you're from around here." Toph said to me.

"Uh-uh." I agreed.

"Where are you from then?" She wanted to know.

"Far away." I replied.

"Like, _how_ far away?" The blind girl asked me.

"Umm…pretty far…" I glanced Katara, who was giving me a Look.

The Look said: _Why won't you tell her?_

I looked away with a sigh.

"And what was that for?" Toph asked me.

I cringed. "Uh, n-nothing!"

"You're lying." Toph stated bluntly. "I can tell when people are lying because they usually start stammering a lot."

"I-uh-w-well-I-umm…" I gulped, and hung my head. "My Mum used to tell me off for that all the time." I admitted. "She used to get _so_ angry when Nanna would make me or my sister lie…"

"Used to?" Toph questioned.

"Hmm...she doesn't make us do it anymore…" I looked out over the saddle at the passing clouds, and became lost in thought…

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

_A group of big gold fish swam around in a little pond, which featured many water reeds and an ornamental bridge. An old woman sat by the pond on a bench, with two little girls on either side of her._

_One was about eight years old, and the other a very small four year old. They both had very long dark brown hair, and hazel eyes that mirrored the older woman's. At the woman's feet was a small black and red dog with a long nose._

_The younger girl pointed to one of the goldfish, a particularly fat one, and laughed. "That one there looks like Granddad, see?" She said._

_Her sister laughed as well, but the older woman admonished them both._

_"Now, now, girls, be nice." The older woman told them both. "We raised you _both_ to be that way, remember?"_

_"Aww, Nanna, but it _does_!" The little girl insisted, making a face._

_"Don't make faces," Her Nanna told her, and then pinched her nose, making the little girl shout with laughter. "Or the wind will change a freeze it that way!" All three of them laughed._

_O~O~O~O_

_The older girl was standing outside of a school, wearing a uniform that consisted of a blue polo shirt and a darker blue pleated skirt. She was a few years older now, and was watching her Mum lead her sister into the school by the hand, for her first year of primary school._

_"I can't wait to find out who my new teacher is!" The little girl chirped. Her brown hair was pulled into a tight ponytail, and she was swinging her other hand. "I hope she's nice! I hope I'm in the same class as all the kids from last year!" She tugged on her Mother's hand. "Oh, look, look Mummy! There's Jamila, and Lillian! All the teachers think Lillian's really smart! And there's Alysha, but I don't like her…oh, there's Toby, and Krystal and Mayling…oh, and there's Corey as well. And Thomas!" The little girl's face flushed slightly, but then she brightened and waved frantically. "Hi, Corey! Hi, Thomas!"_

_The two young boys waved back to her, grinning, and she hurried over to join them and their Mothers._

_The older sister shook her head slightly, and smiled. Her sister was always talking to random people…like, when they'd been to Narrogin to visit their Dad's Mum's Dad, their Pop. The younger sister had been talking to all the random people at the shops, not even caring who they were…_

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"Emma? _Emma_?" Katara waved a hand in front of my face.

I blinked. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I wanted to know what you think." Katara explained, patiently.

"About what?" I wanted to know.

Toph threw her hands up in the air. "Oh, never _mind_! They'll _discontinue_ colours before she tunes in!"

"What?" I asked. "I know all about colours…yellow's happy, red is _love_, green is…like…neutral, blue is sad, pink is girlie, purple is a less girlie version of pink…white is pure, and black is sad…" I closed my eyes for a moment, and tried to envision never being able to see colours. I couldn't do it. I sighed, and let my mind wander again…

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

_The same little girl from before was lying on her stomach on the newly tiled games-room floor. It was two years later, and she was in year three at school. However, since it was the school holidays, she could stay home all day, or go out with her Mother and sister, or play with her friends whenever she wanted to._

_Now, however, she held a pencil in her hand, and was expertly tracing around her other hand, on a piece of paper._

_She coloured the hand in, in shades of yellow and pink._

_To… She wrote on the piece of paper, and then paused._

_"Now, who should I give it to?" She wondered out loud, and then looked up as her Father entered the room. "Oh, I know, Daddy!" She hurriedly scrawled 'Daddy' on the paper, and then rushed over to give her Father a hug and kiss, since he'd been at work all day._

_Her Father kissed her back, but kept her in his arms a moment longer and said: "I have some sad news."_

_She looked up at him, her smile fading. Concern lit up her big golden eyes. "What is it, Daddy?" She asked him._

_"Last night, Pop went to sleep…" Her Father said gently. "And, he didn't wake up again."_

_"You mean he's…?" The girl gasped and, when her Father nodded, she burst into tears, crying against his work shirt, and he let her do it for as long as she needed to._

_They went out into the kitchen next, and found the little girl's Mother there, also crying. The little girl would learn later that it had been her Mother who had found the tired old man after he'd passed away._

_The little girl went to find her older sister next, and was angry to see the older girl playing on the computer, seemingly not caring._

_"How can you not be upset?" The little girl demanded. "Pop's gone, and he's never coming back again! Don't you _care_? !"_

_The Mother came into the room then, and said gently: "Your sister _does_ care, she just doesn't like to show her emotion."_

_The little girl sniffled, and wiped her eyes. "Yeah, well she _should_."_

_"Well, maybe _you_ should show _less_ emotion!" The older sister snapped._

_"You take that back!" The younger sister cried, and the Mother had to drag her out of the room, muttering condolences…_

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I sighed again. We had stopped by a small stream to set up camp for the night, and I was feeling down for some reason. Maybe it was because Toph and Katara had gone after Momo, who'd been chasing a squirrel-thingie (it _looked_ like a squirrel, but it had giraffe-spots…), and Aang and Sokka were busy setting up camp.

I was lonely.

I thought of Zuko, and I gulped, to try and get rid of the lump in my throat. I didn't know _why_, but I was _missing_ him…more than I'd care to admit. Was it because he'd been the first one I'd seen when I arrived in this world? Or, because I knew that he'd recently split up from Uncle Iroh…?

"Maybe…" I said out loud, just as Katara and Toph came back, and the latter was complaining.

"_Potatoes_?" She nearly whined. "How _bo-ring_…"

She had something against our choice of food that night, it seemed…

Sokka, to everyone's annoyance, chimed in with: "Ye-ah, she's ri-ght – potatoes are _so_ yesterday…"

"Stop whining!" Katara slapped him upside the head, and then turned to me. "Umm, Emma, could you help us cook?" She gave Toph a (wasted) Look, and I cringed. Was it starting already?

"Y-yeah…" I said, and then I had an idea. "Oh, wait, I know!" I hurried over to the campfire, and then thought for a moment. "Okay, Katara – do we have _salt_ with us?" I asked her.

She gave me a strange look. "Yes…?"

"Good." I nodded, and then turned to Toph (once again, a wasted gesture, but anyways…). "Toph, can you do me a favour, please?" I asked her, a little shyly. I was sure she was gonna say 'no' when she heard what I wanted.

"Depends." She shrugged.

"Uh, right…" I smiled slightly. "Umm, can you create a structure out of earth, a sort of box," I explained, and hoped that she was listening. "With a slot underneath big enough for a fire, and another space _above_ it, but the panel separating them has to be thin enough for heat to get through enough to cook whatever's on it…okay?"

Toph didn't say anything, but Katara did. "What are you planning on doing?" The Waterbender was curious, as were Aang and Sokka.

I smiled widely this time, remembering. "I'm gonna show you how to make my Dad's famous," (Okay, so that was stretching the truth a little). "Barbeque potato scallops."

"Barbeque?" Katara repeated, mystified.

"Potato?" Aang blinked.

"Scallops?" Sokka clarified, and nodded. "Sounds good! What can we do?"

I pointed to the gear. "Well, you and Aang can start by peeling the potatoes, and slicing them…umm, about _this_ thick," I indicated with my fingers. "But, we're going _nowhere_ unless Toph is gonna create the barbeque pit…"

We all looked at her.

She seemed to sense this, and sighed. "Well, I _suppose_…if you all need me so much, I can help out…" She stomped one foot on the ground, and created a _perfect_ BBQ pit…you could have even made a wood-fire pizza on it! "I ain't lighting no fires, though…" She added, tossing her head and parking herself on the dirt with a flourish, as Katara deposited the fire wood underneath the BBQ.

"Too bad there's no Firebenders around…" I mused, and then caught the looks I was getting from the Water Tribe siblings. "_Joking_…" I said, waving my hands in earnest. "Uh, so, start peeling those potatoes, boys!" I said, turned to Yang-Chong. "I'll start making some tea. You can help us out with the fire, right?"

He spat some fireballs onto the firewood, which caught alight instantly.

I sighed again.

"Sighs can start arguments too, Emma." Toph said carelessly…

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I shook my head slightly. For some reason, I was thinking about my past _way_ too much lately. It was starting to affect me somehow…

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

_If the city is as magnificent as its wall, Ba Sing Se must be something to behold…I hope you all may see it someday…if we don't burn it to the ground first…_

_The young boy and his sister laughed openly at this, as their Mother read aloud the letter sent from the war-front by their Uncle, the general leading the battalion in the siege upon the city._

_"Until then," She read in a warm, soothing voice, one the young boy loved. "Enjoy these gifts."_

_The young boy and girl ran over to the servants, who held the gifts from their Uncle._

_"For Zuko, a pearl dagger from the general who surrendered when we broke through the outer wall. Note the inscription and the superior craftsmanship."_

_The young boy was honored, and pleased, with his gift. It was beautiful and befitting of a crown prince but, more importantly, it was sent to him by his Uncle, who cared for him, and knew that he would appreciate it._

_His sister, however, was _not_ as satisfied with _her_ gift, which turned out to be a doll. She was 'a new friend' and she 'wore the latest fashion for Earth Kingdom girl'._

_Iroh _clearly_ did not know his niece at all, or perhaps hew as trying top instill something upon her…_

_It didn't matter, because she had a different out look. "If Uncle doesn't make it back from the war, then Dad would be next in line to be Fire Lord, wouldn't he?"_

_It could have just been a child musing out loud but, to the child's Mother, such words should never have been spoken about a beloved Uncle. "Azula, we don't speak that way." The Mother said, disappointed in her daughter's behavior. "It would be awful if Uncle Iroh didn't return." She sighed. "Besides, Fire Lord Azulon is a picture of health." Her beautiful golden eyes seemed troubled, though._

_"How would you like it if cousin Lu Ten wanted Dad to die?" The young girl's brother asked her, a little annoyed._

_The young girl hadn't actually _meant_ that, but her Mother and brother _both_ seemed to think it, so she just raised her head. "I still think our Dad would make a much better Fire Lord than his royal tea-loving kookiness…" She set her doll's head alight…_

_Her Mother sighed unhappily…_

_O~O~O~O_

_That same Mother stood by a pond in the courtyard, reading a letter given to her by a servant. Her golden eyes filled with tears, but she did not allow them to fall as her son approached._

_"Iroh has lost his son." She told her own son. "Your cousin Lu Ten did not survive the battle." Her heart thudded painfully in her chest. The outcomes of war…the turmoil it created…it was just too cruel. She only wished to shield her children from this madness but, sometimes, she could not. A single tear rolled down her face, as her son looked at her in shock…_

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I turned away from the fire, holding the bowl of chips. "Okay, everyone, come and get em', but be careful, they're…" Aang, Sokka and Toph all grabbed a handful of chips and began scoffing them down.

"Hot." Katara finished bluntly, as the other three began yelping in pain. Katara took a chip and blew on it a few times, before trying it. "Hey, this is pretty good!"

"The secret is in the oil." I said wisely, taking a particularly crisp-looking scallop for myself. "Actually, you did most of the work, Katara…I just guided you…umm, my Dad always used to make them perfectly…I…hope we did okay…"

"They're _good_!" Toph said, with a mouthful. She was enjoying them, which made me feel happier. "Your Dad must've been a good teacher!" She added, slapping Sokka's hand away as he went for the chip that she wanted.

"He is…I think…" I looked up at the moon, my mind feeling slightly numb. _Dad…and Mum…do you miss me? Zuko…and Uncle Iroh…how about you? Do you miss me…as much as I miss you?_ Is it possible to be surrounded by people…yet still feel so alone?

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

This family I had stayed with had bestowed a lot of kindness upon me, but I couldn't stay. I just didn't feel comfortable and, besides, I was in no fit position to stay _anywhere_. I was Fire Nation, so theEarthKingdom hated me. Yet, the Fire Nation considered me a traitor.

I didn't belong anywhere, or with anyone…

As I was mounting my (stolen) ostrich-horse, some soldiers I had had a run-in with yesterday showed up.

As they told the man –Gansu– who had helped me that his eldest son had been captured in the war, and the so-called soldiers told them what had happened to the last batch ofEarthKingdomsoldiers the Fire Nation had captured, I looked down at the ground.

My Uncle had hinted to me that Emma was against the war and, when she'd sided with the Avatar and his Water Tribe friend, I'd known this to be all too true. Like my Mother, Emma seemed to be a pacifist, only fighting when she had to and if she was angered enough.

But, hearing what these men had to say, and remembering how my Father had been willing to sacrifice those men three years ago, I began to think that…maybe Emma was right…

AsGansuand Sela walked back inside, the former with plans to go and free his son, their youngest, Lee, ran to me in tears.

I remembered how I had taught him about the dual swords. They were two, but they were two that made up a whole, and were meant to be treated as such.

_Emma…_

Lee wanted to know if I'd stay after his Father left, but I told him that I had to move on.

He was upset, but then I handed him my dagger. "I want you to have this. Read the inscription." I told him.

He unsheathed it. "Made inEarthKingdom?"

I rolled my eyes under my conical hat. What Lee had just said reminded me of Emma – that same cluelessness…

"The other one." I told Lee.

The young boy read aloud. "Never give up without a fight?"

I thought about this as I galloped off. Never give up without a fight…why had my Uncle sent me _this_ particular dagger. Because of how he'd gotten it…or, because, somehow, he'd _known_ I'd have to fight all my life…?

_If only you'd known, Uncle…_

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

_The young prince was in a room in the royal palace. He was playing with his dagger, pretending to slice at imaginary opponents, before faking death and falling over, with much drama._

_His sister, seated in a chair and watching him, sniffed. "You waste your time playing with knives. You're not even good."_

_Her brother blushed, and got up. "Put an apple on your head and we'll find out how good I am!"_

_His sister got up and walked over to him. "By the way…Uncle's coming home."_

_Her brother paused. "Does that mean we won the war?"_

_"No, it means Uncle's a quitter _and_ a loser." His sister sneered._

_"What are you talking about?" Her brother asked. "Uncle's not a quitter."_

_"Oh, yes he is." The sister leaned against a pillar. "A _real_ general would stay and _burn Ba Sing Se to the ground_…not lose the battle and come home crying." She looked upon the matter from a military point-of-view, so far beyond her years…_

Too_ far…_

_She resembled her Father as she spoke…_

_Her brother, however, was angry at her. "How do you know what he should do?" He resembled their kind Mother as he looked down. "He's probably just sad his only kid is gone…forever…"_

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

I sighed, as I rode off into the sunset on my stolen ostrich-horse. I should have known. As soon as the villager's found out I was a Firebender, they turned their backs on me, despite all I'd just done for them. I realized then that they hated me not because of _who_ I was, but because of _what_ I was.

I vowed then and there to never Firebend when battling like this again. I'd use my swords, and not my fire…

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I awoke with a start, my heart pounding. I looked around, and saw Yang-Chong looking at me in concern.

"J-just a bad dream," I told the phoenix, gulping. "N-nothing to worry about…"

He cooed, and nuzzled against my neck.

I looked up at the moon. _Umm, Yue…Princess…moon-spirit…lady…umm, I know we didn't know each other, but…if you're looking over me, can you please make sure I have okay dreams, cause'…I dunno why I'm dreaming about my past and, well, it's freaking me out…sooo…from one friend of the Avatar's to another…PLEASE be kind and let my dreams be peaceful…oh, yeah, and your hairstyle RULES..._

Who would've guessed that Yue chose tonight of all nights to ignore me…I guess she had other, more important things to worry about...

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

_The two girls and their Nanna were standing in the same backyard, though the oldest was now fifteen and the youngest, eleven. The youngest one and her Nanna had tears streaming down their faces, as did a women with wavy dark brown hair and dog-brown eyes. She stood next to a man with black hair and blue eyes, who had one arm around the woman and another around the younger girl. Other people stood in the backyard with them, though their faces were obscured by shadows. The porch light was lit, but only just. Inside, only a few lights were lit, casting eerie shadows on the crowd._

_"I can't believe Granddad is gone…" The little girl whispered. "So soon..." The cancer that had taken his life had spread so quickly throughout his lungs. She expected her sister to say something about how it was inevitable, like she had before the death, but now the older girl was silent._

_The younger girl looked at her Nanna, standing beside her sister, and hoped that nothing more would change in their lives..._

_O~O~O~O_

_The girl was now five years older. Her height hadn't really changed, but now a white scar decorated her throat. She stood in front of a mirror, singing half-heartedly._

_"Ah, it's no good," She said sadly. "I can't sing...even if I could, I wouldn't have any friends in school..." She thought about her two best friends, Krystal and Mayling, and her heart ached. They'd all gone off to different highschools. Everything had changed and, on top of that, Nanna had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of skin cancer called a melanoma._

_In fact, her Mum and sister were by Nanna's side now, because she wasn't feeling well. She'd been informed of this after coming home from Krystal's birthday party, and now she was worried. The phone had rung a few times and, each time, Dad had stayed on the phone for a long time._

_Sighing, the girl walked up tp her room and changed into her pyjamas, finally allowing herself to get ready for sleep._

_Just as she was changing, the phone rang again._

_This time, Dad picked it up quickly and, five seconds later, hung up._

_The younger daughter leapt out of bed and walked swiftly down the hallway, just as her Father came out of his room, an unreadable expression on his face._

_"Emma, get dressed," He told the younger girl gently. "Nanna's just died..."_

_The young girl was frozen in shock for a moment, before collapsing to her knees..._

_After that, everything changed..._

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

_"We have to take care of Nanna's dog now..."_

_"That's okay, Josie and I get along great!"_

_..._

_"Where's Josie?"_

_"Josie went to live with another lady, okay?"_

_"It's because you didn't like her, isn't it? !"_

_"She wasn't a real member of this family!"_

_..._

_"Why aren't you trying harder at school?"_

_"I just don't wanna be there!"_

_"You're going to fail! Is that what you want? !"_

_"I don't know!"_

_..._

_"Dad, please stop tearing up my booklets!"_

_SLAP!_

_..._

_"Mum, aurgh, LET ME GO! !"_

_"Mum, be careful with her, please!"_

_"She needs to learn some discipline!"_

_..._

_"You're a freak, nobody wants to hang out with you!"_

_"That...that's not true!"_

_"You don't even have a boyfriend!"_

_"So...so, who cares? !"_

_"You must be gay!"_

_"Freak!"_

_"Anime-freak!"_

_"Gothic! That dress you wore o the dance was so gothic!"_

_"Anorexic!"_

_..._

_"I want to ride horses, and...and, I'm good at it!"_

_"It's too expensive! If you had a job, then you could pay for it yourself!"_

_..._

_"You failed at this third job trial because you didn't try hard enough!"_

_..._

_"Why are you so immature? You're such a brat!"_

_..._

_"Until you start being a worthwhile member of this family, you won't get anything!"_

_..._

_"You useless, lazy, stupid, worthless bitch! You act like you're a slow-learner, and retarded sometimes!"_

_..._

_"If you tried harder, then you'd have a job by now!"_

_..._

_"If you paid more attention to your looks, then you'd have a boyfriend by now. Isn't that what you want?"_

_..._

_"You spend too much time drawing!"_

_"But...but, I'm GOOD at it!"_

_"You don't even try hard with that! You've stopped – you haven't moved on!"_

_..._

_"Locking you out of your room is the only way to teach you – unless you want me to start hitting you again!"_

_..._

_"Mum, please, stop!" _I have to defend myself somehow...self-defense? !

_"Yeah, right! Get the hell outside, NOW!"_

_..._

_..._

_..._

_No! No! NO! It can't be! This is NOT my life! It's not! IT'S NOT! ! ! It hurts...please, make it go away! Please!_

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I awoke with a start again, and was surprised to find myself in the Spirit World.

The last time that happened, I ended up sleep-walking into the Fire Nation.

I gulped. "He...hello?"

A voice answered, a soft voice I hardly recognized. _Little priestess..._

"Who...who are you?" I stammered.

A woman wearing blue Water Tribe robes appeared before me. I recognized her instantly from her blue eyes and hair-loopies.

"Kya..." I breathed, falling to me knees in reverence.

_Little priestess..._ Katara's Mother gazed at me with sympathy. _Your mind is troubled. And, when a priestess' mind is troubled as she sleeps, she wanders away into the Spirit World. What troubles you?_

"Everything!" I burst out. "My life here, my life back home! I wanted it all to go away! I wanted to be happier here, but there's things I can't escape, things I can't let go of! I made...I made a wish...a few of them, actually..." I bowed my head. "I wanted so badly for them to come true..."

A second figure, less ghostly than Kya appeared. She had long dark hair and wore dark red robes. I gazed in complete awe at Zuko's Mother. She was beautiful.

_Emma,_ She said, in her soft, nurturing voice. _You wanted so badly to escape your own life, yet you are letting it consume you here...let go of it, my dear..._

"How can I?" I asked them both, desperately. "Do you know what I wanted? Do you? !" I demanded. Tears splashed down my face. "I wanted all of my problems to go away...problems with getting a job...problems with my parents...I wanted to be strong, smart and beautiful...I wanted to be brave and help people...I wanted..." I blushed. "I wanted to be popular with the guys, but have a strong and good-looking boyfriend to watch out for me...I wanted to change things for the better..." I looked down. "And, what am I? I miserable little mouse who can only cook...potato scallops."

Ursa and Kya exchanged a glance, and then both smiled. Arms reached out to me and took my hands.

_Come..._ They said, tugging gently on my spiritual being.

I allowed them to pull me.

_Emma,_ Kya said softly. _Don't you see?_ We were walking through a tunnel of blue water now and, all around us, I could see shapes. It was like we were walking through the giant aquarium at Underwater World/AQWA, except that, instead of fish schools and Great White Sharks, there were images of _me_ playing out around us. _You _have_ changed..._ Kya was pointing out various images to me, and I looked. _You've been smart and brave all this time you've been here...to come through from another world, and still manage to get by...you've drawn strength and courage from the people around you and made it into your own._

_Yes,_ Ursa agreed, smiling at me and gesturing to a brightly-coloured memory. _You discovered on your own your powers as a bender...water and earth...you are halfway there..._

"Halfway there?" I repeated, blinking back tears. "Does...does that mean...?" Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw myself in a flash of orange flames, followed by a me in the sky...

_You've been able to do extraordinary things, that only you can do,_ Ursa added, her hand now resting on my shoulder as we came to a three-pronged fork in the tunnel. Each path led into a different colour – blue, green and red, in that order from left to right. _You've learned martial arts, like you always wanted...to be able to protect yourself, from many things...you have a long way to go, but you will find other teachers..._ She smiled, as an image of Zuko and Iroh appeared above us. I gazed up at them, almost desperately. Oh, how I missed them! _You moved past your shyness to begin your training with my brother-in-law..._ Ursa's smile became soft and sincere. _And, it will be _you_ who can save my child from the darkness within..._

I nodded, only half understanding but realizing the sentiment behind it.

_You have also learned a great deal from my daughter, and I believe she can learn a great deal from you as well..._ Kya told me, waving a hand in front of my face and, when she drew her hand back, a hair-loopie was suddenly on the right side of my face. It wasn't _exactly_ the same as Katara's, more like a skinnier version of Yue's.

And, speaking of which...

_Emma..._ The spectral form of the Moon Princess appeared before me, looking serene and calm even though she was more of a ghost than even Kya. _I've come to take you back..._

I nodded, and then turned to Ursa. "Milady...I want to protect them...Zuko is..." I looked away, and then gulped. I looked straight at her. "Well, he's very important to me! I care about him a lot!"

Ursa nodded, understanding. "I know..." She smiled sadly at me. "And, I _wish_ I could be there as well, to guide him...Emma, I am entrusting _you_ with his protection...the spirits chose you for this quest...Lady Kwan Yin entrusted you, as doI. Please..."

I gulped. That sounded like a big responsibility. I'd never been too good with responsibility...but, then again...this _wasn't_ like home. This was a whole new world (literally) and...well, there was a _war_ going on out there! Apparently I was some priestess, Avatar-y thing and, well, damn it, I was gonna figure this out! No more being alone!

I nodded firmly. "I will!" I took Yue's hand, and then turned back as Kya called out to me.

_Emma...you must be entirely honest with those you travel with...and with yourself._ Katara's Mother had the same sparkling blue eyes as her daughter._ Think of them as your friends, and entrust them with all your secrets...I know my children, and they will understand...they all will..._

"I hope you're right..." I whispered, closing my eyes as Yue took me through the clouds and back to the real world...


	29. A Painful Reunion

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

A Painful Reunion

_Emma...you must be entirely honest with those you travel with...and with yourself._ Katara's Mother had the same sparkling blue eyes as her daughter._ Think of them as your friends, and entrust them with all your secrets...I know my children, and they will understand...they all will..._

_O~O~O~O_

**Toph's P.O.V:**

"Hey, Toph?" Emma's voice came from behind me, as Appa landed on the ground and we all disembarked the great flying beast. "Toph, I gotta tell you something…"

"Not right now, shiny voice," I told her, holding up a hand and enjoying the plush feeling of the grass under my bare feet. "Hey, you guys picked a great campsite…the grass is so soft…"

"Uh, Toph…" Emma said faintly.

"That's not grass." Sokka spoke up. "Appa's shedding."

"Oh, gross!" I heard Katara shriek, and inwardly giggled at her being freaked out over this startling new revelation.

"That's not gross; it's just a part of spring." Aang said serenely, and I had a sudden envision of him surrounded by strange forms of wildlife, and of Momo trying to catch one of them. "You know, rebirth, flowers blooming, and Appa gets a new coat!"

"He certainly does…" Emma said, and then sniffled. "Aurgh, Mum's hay fever…she passed it onto me…" She muttered.

"Ah, the beauty of spring," Katara said, with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Just then, Appa sneezed, and must've blown fur everywhere because Katara screamed: "Stop, Appa, stop!"

"It's not that bad, Katara," Sokka said to his sister. "It makes a great wig!"

"And A great beard!" Aang added.

I pictured them both wearing the hair fashionably on their bodies, and that gave me a great idea. I hurriedly began collecting bits of fur from all around me. It wasn't hard to do – there was miles of piles of the stuff everywhere…

Meanwhile, Katara was un-amused. "I'm just glad we finally have more girls than boys in the group because you two are disgusting."

"Excuse me." I interrupted, stepping in between Aang and Sokka. "Does anyone have a razor?" I raised my arms to reveal the masses of white fur I'd put under my arms. "Because of got some hairy pits!"

Aang and Sokka joined me in my laughter, until the Airbender sneezed, creating the effect that only an Airbender _can_, and we all began laughing again.

Even Katara and Emma saw the humor in _that_, which was good. I'd been starting to think that those two girls had no sense of humor.

Just then, Emma sneezed, and sniffled. "I wonder if somebody is talking about me…" She muttered.

"What?" The rest of us were confused.

"Does anyone have an anti-histamine?" She went on.

"A what?" The rest of us asked in confusion.

_This girl,_ I thought, staring through the blackness and trying to picture her. _Is weird._

_O~O~O~O_

**No One's P.O.V:**

"You two ladies have your orders." The Princess said quietly.

"Tell me, Azula, what _reason_ do I have for going after the girl with the fan?" A tall, raven-haired girl asked, in a bored voice.

"_Trust_ me, Mai," Azula said, an almost _evil_ smile creeping over her painted red lips. "You and this girl have a _lot_ to fight about…"

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"Ách-oo!" I sneezed, and rubbed my nose unhappily.

"Bless you." Katara said.

"Thanks." I called.

"Nice hair-loopie, by the way." She admired it.

"Thanks." I said again, and looked around.

I had been trying to talk to Toph all day, after what Kya had told me I thought that I should be honest with her.

And, that started with telling her that I came from another world.

Oh, and I also needed to tell the others I could bend _two_ elements, and possibly all four of them. I'd need to see.

Oh, and that I sometimes ran around in a red mask, doing heroic deeds…

Unfortunately, we were camping out, which meant that certain chores had to be done before we could start talking. Last night's campfire had been different – we hadn't had to do much of anything, really.

Tonight, however, we had to do all the usual things.

Sokka collected the firewood, and Aang set up the tent using his Airbending (the cheater). As Katara swirled some water in a large pot, to be boiled, and I took care of the animals (a job I really didn't mind doing), I saw Katara look up, and followed her gaze to where Toph was lounging against a rock with her legs crossed and her arms behind her head, not doing anything except for maybe a very good Jet impersonation with a piece of straw in her mouth.

Katara stood up and walked over to her.

"Uh-oh." I muttered under my breath, tugging a big grass seed out of Appa's coat, and pulling a big clump of white fur out along with it. Appa huffed at me, and I rolled my eyes. "Either like it or lump it, whitey." I told the bison, before seeing that Sokka was now sorting through our stuff. I shot over to him like I was on fire, and said: "I'll do that!" I didn't want him finding my mask. "You go and, uh…scout the land?"

"You're being awfully secretive, you know." Sokka put his hands on his hips.

"I know," I said, remembering what his Mother had told me. "I just…"

"Hey, you know," Aang jumped gracefully up onto Appa's saddle to join us. "If you have anything you need to tell us, then you can. We're here for you."

"I know…" I looked at the little bald monk, and then at the Water Tribe warrior. I took a deep breath. "Well, you see, the thing is, I…"

"Uh, hey, Emma?" Toph called just then. "I think your bird's, like, on _fire_…"

"That's okay, he's a phoenix." I responded. "He _is_ fire."

"Oh…then, I think it must be Momo, because he sounds like he's in pain." Toph replied casually, and it was Aang's turn to panic, as Momo ran around with his tail on fire, setting alright clumps of Appa's shed fur…

_O~O~O~O_

Later that evening, as we began to settle in for the night, and Aang accidentally dropped Appa's saddle onto Sokka, I saw Katara approach Toph for a second time, and apologize. She'd meant it to be a two-way thing but, for some reason, Toph didn't see what the problem was.

Their 'goodnights' sounded kinda strained.

I started making some tea, as I had now formed a habit of doing before bed (and, any other time, too), and began handing it around.

"Thanks." Sokka took his tea and made the mistake of taking a sip straight away.

"Thank you, Emma." Aang said, blowing on his tea to cool it down.

"You're _very_ helpful." Katara said, sweetly and sincerely as she took her tea cup, before adding in a louder and more deliberate voice: "Unlike _some_ people I know!"

Toph chose to ignore this, until I handed her the last cup of tea, and she said: "Thanks, Emma – you're _so_ nice…_much_ nicer than _Katara_..." She added, quietly.

"I _heard_ that!" The Waterbender snapped. "Brat…" She muttered, and then shrieked, as Toph used her Earthbending to cause a rock to fly up from under Katara, spilling the boiling hot tea all over her…

I groaned. _Uncle Iroh,_ I thought, looking up at the sky, as Katara made to strangle Toph and Aang had to hold her back. _This is NOT going well…_

_O~O~O~O_

Even _later_ that night, we were all asleep…sorta. Aang was curled up on Appa's front right arm, and Momo was curled up on the bison's head. Sokka and Katara were asleep inside their tent, whilst Toph was camped out in her makeshift one. I was lying in my sleeping bag, with Yang-Chong zoned out bat-style from a perch. I was supposed to be asleep but, instead, I was looking at my red mask in my hands.

_I _wanted_ to tell them, Kya…_ I thought, gazing at the stars through the mask's eye-holes. _Ursa…Yue…they deserve to know the truth…they're my friends…I'll tell them when the sun comes up, I think…unless…_

I sighed, and looked up at the moon.

It seemed to twinkle at me.

"Huh?" I mumbled. "Y-Yue?"

Just then, I caught sight of Toph running towards our campsite.

"There's something coming toward us!" She shouted, waking everyone else up.

"What is it?" Aang wanted to know.

Toph knelt on the ground, sensing the vibrations in the earth, which I couldn't feel. Not in the slightest. I knew what it was, though, but decided to keep quiet, as we swiftly packe dup our camp, and Appa carried us safely into the air.

"What _is_ that thing?" Katara asked, as the four of us who could see looked out at the thing in the dust cloud that was heading swiftly towards us.

"Trouble…" I muttered, but turned away when she looked at me, and stowed my mask away again.

_O~O~O~O_

Even _later_ that night (this was turning into the longest night ever) the others were all pretty tired. I, however, was used to staying up at nights – Mum and Dad had given me grief about it before, but who's laughing now, huh? ! I felt bad for the others, though…

As soon as we'd landed, Toph exclaimed: "Ahh, land, sweet land!" She was quite cheerful, for some odd reason. "See you guys in the morning!"

See?

"Actually, can you help us unload?" Katara spoke up, despite me making throat-cutting gestures at her behind Toph's back.

Toph turned back. "Really? You need _me_ to help unload Sokka's funky-smelling sleeping bag?"

Despite the fact that Toph's remarks about Sokka's sleeping bag were true, Katara remained adamant that the little Earthbender should help us out.

She was just saying something about us being a team and all, when Toph interrupted her angrily. "_Look_!" She pointed at Katara. "I didn't ask _you_ to help me unload _my_ stuff. I'm carrying my own weight."

"But that's not really the _point_ now, is it?" I said to Aang and Sokka, who shook their heads as Katara marched over to confront Toph.

"Ever since joining us you've been nothing but selfish and unhelpful!" Katara snapped. "Even _Emma_ works harder than you, and she _hates_ working!"

"_Hmm_…" I said, irritated, as Sokka and Aang smiled sheepishly.

"_What_?" Toph half-turned. "Look here, sugar queen, I gave up everything I had so that I could teach Aang Earthbending, so don't you talk to me about being selfish!" She immediately set up another makeshift earth tent for herself.

"_Sugar Queen_? !" Katara nearly shrieked. Toph brought a rock up to close the opening of the tent. "D-did you just slam the door in my face? !" The Waterbender sputtered. "How can you be so infuriating? !"

"Should we…do something?" Aang asked, looking mainly at me.

"Hey, I'm just enjoying the show." Sokka stated.

"Yeah, but…maybe we should, like, _help_ them or something?" Aang sounded concerned.

"I think it would take a power greater than I." I said peaceably. "Hey, _you're_ the Avatar, you do something, A."

"Could you possibly shorten his name anymore?" Sokka asked me, as Aang approached Katara.

"It stands for Aang, Arrow, Avatar and Air – it's _his_ letter." I shrugged.

"Well then…what am I?" Sokka wanted to know.

I stared at him for a moment, before replying: "Sox."

_O~O~O~O_

I lay on my stomach later on, and watched the others.

"The stars sure are beautiful tonight," Katara stated, and then raised her voice. "Too bad you can't _see_ them, Toph!"

"Shouldn't have done that." I muttered into my hands, as Toph caused a rock to fly up from the ground and push Katara into the air. She landed on her big brother with a crash.

Toph emerged from her tent suddenly, and told us that the 'thing' was back. Before we knew it, we were back up in the air, much to everyone's dismay…

"Oh for the love of…! Is this gonna be happening to us _all_ night? !" Sokka cried. "How do they keep finding us? !"

"Neighborhood Watch Committee?" I suggested.

"I have _no_ idea what that even is." Sokka grumbled back, clearly sleep-deprived.

He crawled into his sleeping bag as soon as Aang had Appa land on top of a mountain range. Seriously, we were all the way up top. It wasn't enough, though…

"Okay," Sokka yawned. "Forget about setting up camp. I'm finding the softest pile of dirt and going to sleep."

"That's good, because Toph wasn't going to help anyway." Said you-know-who.

"Oh, I didn't realize _baby_ still needed someone to tuck her into bed!" Toph retorted.

"Come on guys," Aang said, the dark circles under his eyes making me wince. "There's something after us and we don't even know what," He covered his head with the top of his shirt to try and settle in for what was left of the night. "Or who it is."

I sat down cross-legged near to him, with Yang-Chong asleep in my lap. The phoenix was zoned out completely, oblivious to anything.

"It could be Zuko," Katara mused. "We haven't seen him since the North Pole." She glanced over at me suddenly. "Oh…wait, sorry…"

"It's okay…even _I_ try not to think about him, too…" I muttered, only half lying.

"Who's Zuko?" Toph wanted to know, reminding us all that she'd only just recently joined up with us.

"Oh, just some angry freak who imprisoned Emma and tracked us all over the world." Sokka spoke up, before putting his head facedown in the dirt.

"How did you escape?" Toph wanted to know, sounding slightly interested and mostly tired.

I shrugged, even though she couldn't see me. "I did some horrible things…I turned on him…I betrayed him…_he didn't deserve that_…" I whispered.

"What?" Katara muttered sleepily.

"Go to sleep, Kitty-Kat." I said dismissively, before sneezing. _Darn it, Appa…_

"Yeah," Sokka agreed. "Whoever's chasing us couldn't have followed us here, so now we should just…" Momo jumped onto him and chirped. "No, Momo, ssh! Sleepy time…"

I sighed, and got up, as Momo jumped away and continued to chitter. "No, it's not…everyone, please get up…and get ready to fight."

There was a moment of silence, and then all four of them said: "What?"

Toph and Katara got up, and Aang said: "That's impossible! There's no _way_ they could've tracked us!"

"She's right…" Toph said slowly. "I can feel it with my own two feet!" She turned slowly towards me. "Hey…how come you knew that before I did? And, what makes you think we'll have to _fight_ whoever it is? Also…why haven't you tried to sleep all night?" She put her hands on her hips. "_Well_…?"

I nervously gulped. "Umm…well, you see Toph, I come from a…"

"It's those three girls from Omashu!" Katara interrupted us, pointing to the three girls who were indeed Fire Nation, and riding weird lizard thingies up the mountain towards us. She assumed a Waterbending stance, as Aang twirled his staff, Toph readied herself for the attack by planting her feet even _more_ firmly in the earth, Sokka drew his boomerang and I whipped out my fan, intending on using Waterbending as a backup plan if I had to.

"We can take em'!" Toph said, confidently. "They're outnumbered! Three girls versus three girls, and Aang for backup!"

"Hey!" Sokka complained. "What about _me_?"

"Oh, sorry," Toph didn't sound sorry at all. "I didn't count you. You know, no bending and all."

"I can still fight!" Sokka protested.

"Okay." Toph complied. "Aang's gonna be backup for _four_ girls versus three girls – they're still outnumbered!"

Sokka nearly had a cow. And, unfortunately for him, he didn't get to strut his stuff, because Toph took care of the Fire Nation girls, while the rest of us scrambled to climb back onto Appa, who was just as tired as we were.

As Toph joined us, we took flight into the sky, despite Appa's obvious sleep-deprivation.

As we flew away, Azula fired a blast of brilliant blue fire at us, which Yang-Chong flew back to…absorb?

He landed back on the saddle, looking rejuvenated.

"Good for you." I told him, resting my head on the side of Appa's saddle. "I wish I could do that…"

"I can't believe those girls followed us all the way from Omashu." Katara mumbled.

"I can." I muttered.

"I _still_ think we could've taken them." Toph shrugged.

"Are you kidding?" Katara asked her, but this time she was being genuine. "The crazy blue Firebending and the flying daggers are bad enough, but last time we saw them…one of those girls did something that took my bending away. That's scary."

"It's called _Chi-Blocking_," I was looking out at the gradually lightening sky, knowing what was coming. "You know, because we need our chi to bend and stuff…" The other three benders nodded silently.

Just then, the sun came up.

"Oh no, the sun is rising!" Sokka cried. He sounded like it was the end of the world or something. "We've been up all night with no sleep."

"Sokka, we'll be okay." Aang told him.

"Are you sure? ! I've never not slept before! What if I fall asleep now and something happens? ! Something _always_ happens!" The Water Tribe warrior was panicking.

"Sokka, _relax_, okay. Nothing will happen." I yawned slightly. "I've done this heaps of times and, believe me, it's not that bad…"

"Every time we land, those girls are there," Katara mused. "So…we'll just have to keep flying."

"We can't keep flying forever." Aang said quietly. "But, as Emma said, nothing will happen."

"I didn't say that." I blinked.

"Ah, yeah you did." Aang waved his hand. "I agree. Nothing will happen."

_O~O~O~O_

"_AAAAAANNNGGG_! ! ! ! ! !" I screamed, as gravity sought to teach us a lesson, and Aang desperately tried to get Appa to wake up. The giant white bison had fallen asleep, and none of us could really blame him for any of this.

Well, _Toph_ could…

"Appa's exhausted." Aang muttered, after we'd landed relatively safely on the ground.

"That was Azula's plan all along…tire us out and then take us out…" I muttered, rubbing my eyes wearily.

"Who?" Toph asked me, as Sokka said something to the other two.

"Azula…she's…the scary Firebending one…" I stated, uncomfortably because of Toph's piercing blind stare. _She knows…_ I thought, desperately. "Look, Toph, I…"

"_What_? !" Toph suddenly screeched, though it was in answer to what Katara had just said about her. She marched over to confront Katara, as Aang stood nervously between them. Sokka had fallen back to sleep (somehow) but, sensing the tension, I hovered awkwardly nearby.

Toph demanded to know if Katara was placing all of the blame on her. Katara gave her a 'bring it on'-type gesture, which Toph immediately rose up to challenge.

Aang and I exchanged a glance, and then zipped in between them, Aang with his back to Katara and me with my back to Toph (I probably should've gotten points for my bravery there or something…).

"No, no! She's not blaming you!" Aang exclaimed, waving his hands frantically.

"No, I'm blaming her!" Katara yelled.

"Hey!" Toph yelled, and marched forward, forcing me to grab Aang and drag him back, lest he be pushed aside by a furious Toph.

"I never asked you for diddly doo da!" Toph shouted. "I carry my own weight! Besides, if there's anyone to blame, it's either sheddy or shiny voice over here!" The Earthbender added, the last part taking me by complete surprise.

"You're blaming _me_?" I squeaked, just as Aang exclaimed: "What? You're blaming _Appa_?"

"Yeah!" Toph stated. "You wanna know how they keep finding us?" She grabbed a hunk of Appa's hair and easily pulled the loose white stuff out. "He's leaving a trail everywhere we go!"

Aang was angry now, though. As _soon_ as Toph had involved Appa, the Airbender was on the defensive…but, he was also angry for _another_ reason, which surprised me.

""How dare you blame Appa!" Aang shouted. "He saved your life three times today! And Emma, she's been nothing but nice to you since you arrived – even _before_ that! If there's anyone to blame, it's you! You're always talking about how you carry your own weight, but you're not! _He_ is! _Appa's_ carrying your weight! He never had a problem flying when it was just the four of us!"

"Then do you mind telling me," Toph was practically _screaming_ by this stage. I wouldn't have been at _all_ surprised to discover that Azula could hear her. Heck, I bet even _Kanna_ could hear it… "How _she_," She thrust a finger out to point directly at my chest. "Keeps on knowing what's going to happen before it does? ! How does _she_ know what that Firebender's name is? If she's _not_ still in cahoots with the Fire Nation, then _what_ is she? !"

"I COME FROM ANOTHER WORLD! !" I screamed, silencing everyone except for a flock of birds that chose to take flight from the nearby trees. The birds had cat-like faces.

Aang and Katara stared at me for a moment, before we all looked back at Toph.

She was standing perfectly still, and then she turned and walked, using Earthbending to pick up her bag. "I'm outta here." She said and, despite Sokka's best efforts to try and stop her, she left.

"Follow her." I whispered to Yang-Chong, who chirped softly before taking into the skies with a beat of his golden wings…

After Aang finished berating himself for what had happened, we all washed up and then formulated a plan to lead the Fire Nation girls astray.

Even though I knew it wouldn't work, I still went along with it, and was reminded of washing horses as we scrubbed Appa in the stream. He seemed to enjoy it, and closed his eyes almost lazily…poor Appa! He must've been soooo tired…plus, with all his stray fur gone, I'd _finally_ stopped sneezing! Yay!

I wanted to go with Aang, but he wouldn't let me come with him…

"I'll be flying," He explained. "And, because you sent Yang-Chong after Toph, you can't fly. So…you can't come…"

I sighed. "Look, I have reason to believe that the girls are going to split up as well. I don't like the idea of you taking on Azula by yourself, especially when you're so tired."

"I'll be fine," Aang assured me. "I need you to help Katara and Sokka," He leaned closer to me and whispered: "Especially if that acrobat girl tries to block Katara's chi again. She'll need your help if that happens."

I hugged him, impulsively. "Okay…but, please, be careful…she may be a girl, but she's _just_ as strong as Zuko…maybe even more so, Aang…"

He gulped, and looked worried…

I patted his bald head. "Go." I whispered, turning back…

_O~O~O~O_

We were flying along, and I was trying to get a reading on Yang-Chong's spirit energy. I closed my eyes and tried to summon the pink power, just as Sokka let out a yelp.

I opened my eyes and looked down (as I clung to Appa's fur with all of my body).

"It's Mai, and she's got Ty-Lee with her!" I shouted over the wind, as Appa began to angle downwards, too tired to fly on.

We made it across the river, thankfully, and Appa lay in the dirt as the rest of us stood up and looked back across the river.

I once saw an episode of _The Simpsons_, where Bart was being chased by a ferocious dog. Homer was in a camper van, and thought he'd slow the dog down by throwing it a steak. However, the dog leapt into the air, caught the steak, and continued to run after Bart.

Sokka's expression now reminded me of Homer's expression then, as the lizard-thingies Mai and Ty-Lee were riding ran _across_ the water on their hind legs.

_They're Jesus…_ I thought, in awe.

Katara, however, had a _different_ train of thought, and used her Waterbending to launch a huge wave at the pursuing girls. It hit Ty-Lee's mount, but she leapt gracefully into the air before the wave hit, and jumped from tree to tree to get closer to Katara. Katara used her Waterbending, but she was also put-off by Ty-Lee's attempts to block her chi.

Remembering Aang's words, I was about to go and help Katara, when a flat voice behind me said: "Going somewhere?" I heard something fly through the air towards me and, on an impulse, I used my golden fan to block it. "Ah…" The voice said, in bored realization.

I turned, to come face-to-face with my rival…

_O~O~O~O_

**Aang's P.O.V:**

"Alright," I said. The one Emma had called Azula had now caught up to me and, having reached a very symbolic ghost-town, I had nowhere left to run. I turned to face my enemy. "You've caught up with me. Now, who are you and what do you want, _Azula_?"

The golden-eyed, raven-haired girl smiled wickedly with red-painted lips. "You even know my name? Well, I'm _honored_. But, you haven't guessed? You don't see the family resemblance?" She held a hand up over her left eye. "_I must find the Avatar to restore my honor_!"

I was confused. Did she mean she had to capture me to restore her honor, like Zuko? No…that couldn't be it…so, what then?

"It's okay," Azula assured me. "You can laugh. It's funny."

"So…what now?" I asked Azula. I _really_ didn't like her, that much was for certain.

"Now…now it's over." Azula informed me. "You're tired, and you have no place to go."

I recalled Emma's words. _That was Azula's plan all along…tire us out and then take us out…_

"You can run," Azula went on. "But I'll catch you."

"I'm not running." I told her. Not this time…

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I chanced a half-glance over my shoulder, to where Katara and Sokka were taking on Ty-Lee by themselves. They seemed to be okay, so I turned back to face Mai, who suddenly threw a series of her sharp-stars at me, which I used my fan to deflect as she came in for the kill. I focused on both our movements, and shifted out of the way, keeping my eyes on her at all times. She was faster than anyone I'd ever taken on before, which was scary.

I dodged around, and she came with me, a glittering blade coming within an inch of my face.

"How did you know my name back in New Ozai?" Mai asked me.

"Where?" I asked, deflecting some stilettos and then twisting around to avoid being hit again. "Oh, you mean in Omashu?"

"Same difference." The stoic girl responded, shooting some arrows at me from a device on her wrist, and smirking slightly as I Matrixed, and one carefully sliced through the skin of my neck, just above my scar. It wasn't very deep at all, but red blood flicked out onto the ground. "How did you know who I was?"

I looked up at her, angry, and twisted myself around gracefully to draw water up from the stream. It did what I wanted it to, for once, and formed ice-shields to help me deflect Mai's attacks. "Why does it matter?"

"It doesn't." Mai said flatly, and flew straight at me, jumping up when I tried to freeze the water around her feet, and punching me, knocking me back into some trees where I lay in utter disbelief.

_I just got…PUNCHED. Ow, it hurts…_ Tears stung my eyes, as I gingerly touched my throat. It wasn't bleeding anymore, which was a relief, but it still stung. I stood up slowly, and felt a hard, throbbing feeling in my chest.

I looked down at my hands, which turned slightly pink and, when I looked across, the ghostly figure of a woman was standing nearby.

I didn't know who she was, or why she was here, or even if she _was_ here. She had her hair tied up in two buns, with large flowers adorning each side, and was wearing Earth Kingdom clothing as well.

She smiled at me, and I smiled back at her. Her ghostly physique reminded me of Yue and of Kya. She disappeared…

I turned back around and stomped through the trees towards the river.

"_Mai_!" I shouted, stomping through the trees and onto the banks of the river. "_Ty-Lee_!" I twirled in a Water Bending move, using my fan to pick up the water and push it forward in a sort of miniature water cyclone. It picked up both Fire Nation girls, and carried them off downstream.

With the two girls being swept away, Sokka could say whatever he wanted. "Yeah, you two'd _better_ not come back!"

_O~O~O~O_

**No One's P.O.V:**

"Was it just me, or was that guy kinda cute?" Ty-Lee smiled at Mai, who just sighed. "Oh and, also, that other girl's aura was so _pink_!"

"_Please_ stop admiring the enemy, Ty-Lee." Mai replied bluntly. Her golden eyes looked troubled…

_O~O~O~O_

**Toph's P.O.V:**

"You sound like my nephew." The nice old man I'd been sharing tea with told me. "Always thinking you need to do things on your own without anyone's support. There is nothing wrong with letting people who love you help you…not that I love you. I just met you."

I laughed. This old man was funny, and _very_ easy to talk to. The tea he'd made was pretty good, too…

I took a sip out of my cup, and asked him: "_So_…where _is_ your nephew?"

"I've been tracking him, actually." The man replied.

"Is he lost?" I asked him.

"Yes, a little bit." The old man sounded concerned. "His life has recently changed and he's going through a difficult time. He is trying to figure out who he is and he went away."

"So…now you're following him?" I guessed.

"I know he doesn't want me around right now but, if he needs me, I'll be there." The old man said wisely.

"Your nephew is very lucky," I told the old man. "Even if he doesn't know it." I set my tea cup down and stood up. "Thank you. Your tea's as good as my friend's…if I can still call her that, that is."

"My pleasure." The old man had a smile in his voice. "Sharing tea with you has reminded me of my niece-for-all-intensive-purposes. It is one of life's true delights."

"_Yeah_…but, also about what you said. It helped me." I told him.

"I'm glad." He replied sincerely.

As I was walking away with my pack, I turned back briefly. "Oh, and about your nephew. Maybe you should tell him that you need _him_, too." As I was walking away again, I heard a familiar bird call, and then something big and avian landed on a rock to my left. "Yang-Chong?" I asked him, and heard the slight clink of a tea cup behind me. "What is it? Do they need me already?"

Emma's pet phoenix chirped loudly, and took flight.

"Lead the way then." I said, and started running, following the sound of his wing beats…

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I lay on the ground, my vision blurry. Slowly, my Uncle's face swam, into view, and the picture cleared.

"Uncle…" I murmured.

"Get up!" He ordered me, hauling me to my feet, just as a musical bird-cry sounded from overhead.

My heart began thudding in my chest, as I heard the sounds of the continued battle coming from nearby and, just then, my sister ran out of a nearby alleyway, and collided with our Uncle's round belly.

She bounced off, looking utterly confused, and then glanced back as the Avatar emerged from the alleyway behind her, followed by the Water Tribe warrior and his Waterbending sister, as well as another girl who was clearly _not_ Emma.

I don't know _why_ I felt relieved about that, as the six of us backed Azula into a corner.

"Well, look at this. Enemies and traitors all working together." My little sister mused.

Just then, a golden bird flew overhead, and a figure dropped down from the sky to land gracefully next to my Uncle.

"You got that right, _Lulu_." The wind chime voice said, and I saw Emma's face reflected in Azula's furious eyes. I chanced a half-glance at her, and saw that she looked calm, poised and…bloodied? Her neck was bleeding slightly, and there was blood covering the area around her nose and mouth. I immediately wanted to know what had happened but, right then, we had more _important_ issues to deal with.

Like my psychotic little sister…

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I couldn't look at Zuko as I landed soundlessly next to Uncle Iroh to complete the arc. I knew that if I did, I'd start crying or, worse, my heart would sprout wings and take flight. Either way, I focused myself on looking _directly_ at Azula, who was _not_ impressed with my new nickname for her. Well, I figured since she gave Zuko the name _Zuzu_, then _Lulu_ would suit her. It sounded like Zuzu, and it had the 'L' sound from her name in it. Perfect.

"I'm done." Azula was lying perfectly. Not even Toph could see through it, but my eyes narrowed. "I know when I'm beaten. You got me. A princess surrenders with honor."

Uncle Iroh became slightly distracted then, as he recognized Toph. I knew that they had shared tea from earlier before, and that he must've recognized Yang-Chong from when he was sent to fetch our little Earthbender.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a few ghostly white figures, and became distracted myself as one of them said: _She's lying…_

She was Water Tribe, with fur-adorned robes and four hair-loopies. She was frowning at Azula sternly…

_She's aiming for the old man, Mamma!_ A little Water Tribe girl, ghostly white with coiled braids, cried, in a voice none of the others could hear. _Save him!_

_It isn't his time yet!_ A Fire Nation man said. He wore soldier's armor, yet it was the _old_ armor, and didn't seem all that old. He looked vaguely _familiar_ somehow…it _couldn't_ be…? !

I turned back to Azula and said, sharply: "_You're lying_!"

"You're right." The Fire Princess smirked, and shot a blast of blue fire directly at Uncle Iroh's chest.

Yang-Chong and I moved in unison.

The phoenix flew forward and directly positioned himself in the path of the flames, but only managed to absorb at least half of them. The rest hit Uncle Iroh, but I had gotten involved as well.

One of the ghosts saw this – it was the man whom I recognized. He turned into some sort of silverfish-white cloud, and flew directly into the fire, stopping it from harming me and also disallowing it to kill Uncle Iroh, who fell to the ground with me beside him, as Zuko shouted something I couldn't quite make out…

Then, Azula was hit with the force of water, fire, earth and air, as well as boomerang, so she made a shield of blue fire. The elements all exploded as one, giving Azula enough time to escape.

Zuko, meanwhile had run over to Uncle Iroh and me and, together, we knelt over the still form of the old man.

My eyes filled with tears as I touched the blackened part of Uncle Iroh's chest where Azula's fire had hit him. My fingers trembled. "_Yang-Chong, please…_" My voice cracked, as Yang-Chong flew down, rested his head over Uncle Iroh's heart, and a few shimmering tears dripped out onto the scorched skin.

Uncle Iroh groaned softly.

"_Uncle_?" I whispered. I glanced up, and finally met with Zuko's gaze.

The banished prince and I stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like the longest time, and yet it wasn't long enough. Something unexplainable passed between us, something I had missed. A tear fell down my face.

Just then, I glanced past Zuko's left shoulder, and saw my friends approaching us slowly, concerned for Uncle Iroh's wellbeing.

Zuko, however, was upset and angry, and turned to them furiously. "_Get away from us_!" He shouted.

I glanced swiftly at Toph, whose eyes seemed rather watery. I knew she knew it was the old man she'd shared tea with that now lay mortally injured on the ground before us.

"Zuko," Katara seemed sympathetic. "I can help!"

Zuko didn't seem to hear her, and unleashed a wave of fire over the heads of my friends. "_Leave_!" He yelled, and my four friends ran, not wanting to stay around the upset prince any longer.

Zuko turned back to me, and looked right into my eyes. "Just go…" He whispered, his voice quivering with an underlying emotion.

"Zuko…" I whispered. "I can't…"

"Just go!" He repeated, more loudly. "You had no trouble running off with them before, so what's the difference now? !"

"You don't understand!" I cried, tears spilling down my face. "I had no other choice, I _need_ to do this!"

"Why? !" Zuko yelled. "Why do you choose him over me? !"

"It's not like that!" I protested. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw ghostly figures begin to approach us. "I'm trying to find my way in this world!"

"So, it's not me, it's you?" Zuko asked me bitterly.

"No," I whispered, and he looked up sharply. I saw my face, my eyes glittering with tears, reflected in his own slightly water-filled eyes. "It's this _war_. I want to bring peace to this world, where it won't be ruled by those who seek to gain more and more power. I want people to be _free_…and I don't want anyone else to die." I stood up, and Yang-Chong flew up into the sky. "Watch over him." I wasn't sure if I was speaking to Zuko or the ghosts, but then I ran, accidentally leaving my fan behind…along with my heart…

_O~O~O~O_

**Azula's P.O.V:**

"Hmm…" I was deeply disturbed by the news Mai and Ty-Lee had delivered to me. "Pink aura…or, pink _light_…?" It sounded familiar. "She's more resourceful than I thought…" I was also wondering what that _thing_ had been that I'd seen, just before my blue fire had hit my pathetic excuse for an Uncle.

Something grey and shimmery…something…_spectral_…


	30. Lesson Number One

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER THIRTY

Lesson Number One

_The banished prince and I stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like the longest time, and yet it wasn't long enough. Something unexplainable passed between us, something I had missed. A tear fell down my face._

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I lay in my sleeping bag, which was drawn up around my head, and stared at the little bits of sunlight seeping in through it. It was still a little early to get up, which suited me just fine. I wanted to think about things some more – things like seeing Prince Zuko again, wondering if Uncle Iroh was gonna be okay…I'd been pretty anxious when Azula had shot him with the fire…or, had that been lightning? I hadn't been able to tell at that time. So much had happened in the space of a few short days, and I wasn't sure what to do about them. I kept playing Zuko's words over again in my mind:

_Just go! You had no trouble running off with them before, so what's the difference now? !_

And the other line:

_Why? ! Why do you choose him over me? !_

What was _that_ supposed to mean? I whimpered slightly and snuggled deeper into my sleeping bag. Did Zuko _really_ think that this was about choosing between him and Aang? The two of them held completely different roles in my life. Aang was the cute, irresistible brother I'd never had, and Zuko was…well…not. He was something else entirely. I hoped to get the chance to make that clearer to him.

I tried to focus on a slightly happier thought. I closed my eyes briefly and considered this. Telling Toph about my world had been enjoyable. She'd wanted to know all about the TV show – and about TV's in general – and seemed satisfied with her extensive fan-base. I'd told them all a little bit more about my family, though not a lot. I hadn't told them that I'm a little bit afraid of my parents. They didn't need to know that right now.

Just then, I heard Aang talking excitably about starting his Earth Bending, and remembered that I _still_ hadn't told them that I could bend two elements. Somehow, I didn't think today should be that day. Aang needed our support.

I crawled out of my sleeping bag, and watched Sokka hop away angrily in his, grumbling incoherently. Aang, meanwhile, was excited about learning Earthbending, and Katara and I decided to watch his lesson. Maybe I could learn something…

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I watched my Uncle come around, relieved that he was going to be okay. After the number Azula did on him, I'd been expecting the worst. Luckily, Yang-Chong had been around to help. I'd had no idea that he could absorb lightning like that. And Emma…she'd known Azula was lying, and had tried to save my Uncle by herself. Probably she had…the damage hadn't been _too_ severe…but, it was enough to throw them both back and knock my poor Uncle out. It made me even _more_ determined to fight – and beat – Azula. I couldn't let her get away with this, and I couldn't give her the chance to do something like this again. The fact that she seemed to be hunting the Avatar unnerved me, though, because I knew that Emma would likely to be caught in any crossfires between my sister and the Avatar. The very _thought_ of Emma in battle, against my psychotic, power-crazed sister, was enough to tie my stomach into knots. I had plenty of reasons to beat Azula now, I think…

I told my Uncle that Azula's attack had been a surprise one, and he stated that wasn't so surprising. We both knew Azula _all_ too well…

I handed my Uncle a cup of tea, and watched his face as he drank it. I wasn't sure if he liked it or not, so I handed him another cup, which disappeared very quickly.

"So Uncle, I've been thinking." I began, looking at my Uncle directly. "It's only a matter of time before I run into Azula again. I'm going to need to know more advanced Firebending if I want to stand a chance against her." I held up my hands. "I know what you're going to say: she's my sister and I should be trying to get along with her." Like _that_ was ever gonna happen…

"No," My uncle replied, taking me by surprise as he stood up. His gaze drifted to the golden fan that lay on the table in the deserted shack that we were in. Sunlight glinted off the gold inscription on there. _Zhuo Guang_, or 'brilliant light'. "She's crazy and she needs to go down. It's time to resume your training."

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

Aang was rubbing his sore head, as he walked back to the boulder the other two girls and I were crowded around. He'd just tried to move said boulder – and failed (miserably).

"I don't understand what went wrong." Katara glanced at Toph, and then pointed at Aang. "He did it exactly the way you did."

"Maybe there's another way?" Aang suggested. He examined the boulder. "What if I came at the boulder from a different angle…?"

Toph grabbed Aang by the collar and turned him around to face her. "That's the problem." She told him. "You've got to stop thinking like an Airbender!" She knocked lightly on the side of Aang's head, and he winced. "There's no different angle, no clever solution, no trickity trick that's going to move that rock!" She shoved her student aside. "You've got to face it head on! And when I say head on, I mean like this!" She head-butted the rock, ninja-style, and it shattered.

Aang flinched. "Whoa!" He then looked down, unsure of himself.

I patted his shoulder awkwardly, as Katara walked over to Toph and gave her some advice about training Aang which the Earthbender was either going to misinterpret or ignore completely.

"You know, Aang, Ba Sing Se wasn't built in a day." I told the Airbender kindly. "Learning a new art can take a little time. Trust me, I know…"

"But, Emma, I don't _have_ a lot of time, not with the comet coming!" Aang looked anxious. "It'll be here by summer's end, and empower the Fire Nation like you wouldn't _believe_! If I don't learn Earthbending, then I won't be able to defeat the Fire Lord!" He sounded frantic, now.

I shook his shoulders gently but firmly. "Get a hold of yourself, man!" I ordered him. "I _promise_ you, you'll be fine! Now, snap out of it, and get back to showing the earth who's the boss!"

"That would be me," Toph walked over to us, a glint in her eyes which I didn't like. "But, don't worry, Emma – twinkle-toes here just needs a gentle _nudge_…" She grinned wickedly.

Aang and I exchanged a glance…

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I listened intently to what my Uncle was saying, as the tea brewed on the fire between us. I actually felt quite calm, sitting here with him like this…

"Lightning is a pure expression of Firebending, without aggression." He stated calmly. "It is not fueled by rage or emotion the way other Firebending is. Some call lightning the cold-blooded fire." He took the kettle off the fire, transferred the tea into another pot, and then poured us each a cup of the stuff. He went on with: "It is precise and deadly, like Azula. To perform the technique requires peace of mind." He handed me a cup.

"I see." I nodded. "That's why we're drinking tea – to calm the mind."

"Oh yeah, good point!" My Uncle nodded, and then coughed. "I mean…yes…"

After we'd finished our tea, my Uncle took me to a hill overlooking the valley where we were. It was quiet and secluded – _perfect_ for Firebending training.

"There is energy all around us." Uncle Iroh told me. "The energy is both Yin and Yang – positive energy and negative energy."

Hearing him say that reminded me of Emma and her necklace. I remembered seeing the blood on her neck falling onto the pendant, and my heart thudded. I didn't like seeing her get hurt, despite all of my confused feelings about her.

My Uncle was still talking. I hurried to tune him in again. "Only a select few Firebenders can separate these energies. This creates an imbalance. The energy wants to restore balance and, in a moment, the positive and negative energies come crashing back together."

At this, I thought briefly of something I had come across a long time ago, something I had forgotten up until this point. Something I had read in a book within the palace library back home…

One said: I am a man. My element is fire, which represents the ambition within my mind. I am passionate and vocal about things; I always make the first move and remain strong and bright in all I do. I have a darkness within me, though, one which I do not understand. It calms me through certain points in my life, yet it also puts a shield up around me that others dislike. I am Yang.

The other responded: I am a woman. My element is water, which symbolizes the depth of my heart. I am quiet and careful; I wait for things to happen first and stay calm and tranquil throughout turmoil. I have a light inside of me, yet I do not seek to reach for this unfamiliar source. It allows me to stand up and fight, although it also subjects me to apprehension of the unknown. I am Yin.

Together, the two formed a single entity and, if they were ever separated, they became unbalanced and disorientated. They were two single halves that created one being, each one the opposite of the other, yet with characteristics of their partner.

I had probably forgotten about this a long time ago because of what Azula had said about it.

_Woman can be fire as well, but I guess in your case and Mai's it fits. You two are like the symbol, aren't you?_

I thought about this. Yes, it was true, Mai _did_ exhibit some of the characteristics described as Yin. She was quiet and careful, usually stayed – although I knew for a fact that she _could_ fight. Still, I also knew that Yin was supposed to have a lot more light, and Mai didn't have that. She was almost like a mirror image of me, if I had to be truthful. We tended to steer more towards the same path, and I supposed this was just a result of our upbringings.

_Emma_, on the other hand…I remembered all the times we'd argued. She usually stayed calm – until something _I_ said or did riled her up, and then she got defensive. She would stand up and fight for what she believed in – even if I did not – and her calmness…it was _different_ from Mai's. Mai's was more like a solid wall, something she had been forced to be by her parents. Emma's was actually the closest thing to water, and not _just_ because she could control that element. She was just…tranquil. Like the ocean, she could be steady and calm, before switching to a raging tsunami. I actually kind of _missed_ her spontaneity, and her ocean-like emotions, that were so different and yet so similar to the fiery passion of _my_ emotions. I _missed_ the way she balanced out the darkness inside of me with the light inside of her. Whilst she was shy and quiet on the outside, I knew that she had this light within her. As cliché and out of character for me, I couldn't deny that she had some sort of light in her heart.

Just as I knew that she believed that, underneath all of my (as she would say) hot-headedness, I was cool and capable. I'd _had_ to be, just to keep her out of trouble all those times…I wondered what she was doing right now…probably helping the Avatar learn how to defeat my father…

I wasn't sure what made Emma that much different from Mai, or why Azula was so interested in my love life, or _why_ thinking about these sorts of things made me feel like what the soldiers would call a sissy, but…

"Nephew!" Uncle's voice snapped me out of my reverie. "Listen to me, as this is very important! You can provide release and guidance, creating lightning…" He motioned for me to step back, so I did.

I watched him as he held his right hand to his side and with two fingers extended began to create lightning by rotating his arm in a circular motion around his body. He did the same thing with his left arm.

I was very impressed by this. The lightning crackled blue, I could tell right away why they called it the cold-blooded fire.

Uncle Iroh brought his two hands together and then lunged forward with his right hand extended. He shot the lightning off into the distance.

My heart pounded in my chest. This was _exactly_ what I needed to be able to defeat Azula! "I'm ready to try it!" I told my Uncle.

He rubbed his injured shoulder slightly, and looked across at me. "Remember, once you separate the energy, you do not command it. You are simply its humble guide, Breathe first." He instructed me.

Somehow, even though I did everything like he had, I only ended up creating a blast of fire-power that threw me backwards.

_What the hell? !_ I thought, although I guess I should've expected it to happen…like usual…

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

Katara and I watched wordlessly as the boulder rolled down the hill towards a blindfolded Aang who, at the last possible second, jumped over the boulder, which rolled past Katara and I and slammed into the nearby canyon wall.

Toph ran straight up to Aang as he removed the blindfold, and he flinched under her disapproving glare.

"I guess I just panicked." Aang told her. "I…I don't know what to say…"

"There's nothing _to_ say." Toph told him. "You blew it. You had a perfect stance and perfect form, but when it came right down to it you didn't have the guts." She punched him lightly in the chest and he fell over.

Instead of trying to get up again, he just sat at her feet with his legs crossed. "I know." He said. "I'm sorry."

She leaned over and got right up close to his face. I don't know how Aang just sat there like that. If Toph had been looking at _me_ that way, I would've been running for the hills as fast as I possibly could.

"Yeah, you _are_ sorry!" Toph told him. "If you're not tough enough to stop the rock, then you could at least give it the pleasure of smushing you instead of jumping out of the way like a jelly-boned wimp! Now, do you have what it takes to face that rock like an Earthbender? !"

Aang wouldn't meet her gaze. "No. I don't think I do." He replied sadly.

Toph straightened up and crossed her arms, as Katara and I exchanged a glance, and then the Waterbender approached Aang.

She placed a comforting hand on the Airbender's shoulder, and told him: "Aang, it's no big deal. You'll take a break and try Earthbending again when you're ready. Besides, you still have a lot of Waterbending to work on, okay?"

"Yeah…" Aang nodded, standing up. "That sounds good." They walked off together.

"Yeah, whatever," Toph called after them. "Go splash around until you feel better." She glanced unseeingly at me. "You're going too?"

"Will I get rocks chucked at me if I stay here?" I asked her.

She didn't look happy. "You bet." She sounded dead serious.

"Aurgh!" I yelled, running off in the opposite direction.

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

"Why can't I do it? !" I shouted, after my eight failed attempt at generating lightning. "Instead of lightning, it keeps exploding in face! Like everything does!" If Emma had heard that, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she would've called me emo, whatever that was…

My Uncle approached me. "I was afraid this might happen." He said. "You will not be able to master lightning until you have dealt with the turmoil inside you."

I was frustrated beyond belief by this stage. "What turmoil? !" I snapped.

"Zuko, you must let go of your feelings of shame if you want yoru anger to go away." My Uncle told me.

"But I don't feel any shame at all!" I protested. "I'm as proud as ever!"

"Prince Zuko," My Uncle said calmly. "Pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source. True humility is the only antidote to shame."

"Well…" I looked aside. "My life has been nothing but humbling lately." Everything from becoming a fugitive to having to deal with my sister to realizing people hated me because I was a Firebender to possibly losing someone I actually might _care_ about…it was harsh…

My Uncle looked to the side as well, following my gaze to where Emma's golden fan lay beside a tea pot.

"I have another idea." My Uncle said. "I will teach you a Firebending move that even Azula doesn't know," I looked up at him, and he pointed to himself and smirked. "Because _I_ made it up myself!"

I allowed myself a small smile…

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

I stood in the thigh-deep water, facing Aang. We moved a ball of water between us in training.

"I know this block you're having is only temporary, right?" I asked him kindly.

Aang looked dejected. "I don't want to talk about it."

I was concerned about this. If this was a problem, then we needed to address it. "You do know that's the problem, don't you? If you face this issue instead of avoiding it…"

"I know, I know, I know, I know!" Aang interrupted me, sounding frustrated. He let the water fall back into the pond. "I need to face it head-on, like a rock. But I just can't do it! I don't know why I can't, but I can't!"

I thought about this for a moment. I was reminded of the story of Yin and Yang, the same as Emma's pendant. I said: "Aang, if fire and water are opposites, then what's the opposite of air?"

"I guess it's earth." Aang responded.

I nodded. "That's why it's so hard for you to get this. You're working with your natural opposite. But, you'll figure it out." I assured him. "I know you will." As I spoke, I reached behind me and snapped off a reed. Without warning, I threw it at Aang, straight as an arrow. "Think fast!" I warned him.

Aang looked startled, before he summoned up a wave of water to shoot up and slice the reed in half, which two halves sailed harmlessly by him.

"Excellent." I said warmly. "You have the reflexes of a Waterbending master."

Aang smiled back at me, his grayish-brown eyes shining. "Thanks, Katara…_Sifu_ Katara." He added, as an after-thought, and bowed to me.

This morning, he'd called Toph '_Sifu_ Toph'…I was so happy that he'd called _me_ _Sifu_. Throughout my fourteen years, I'd never _once_ imagined myself being called that. Going from being the only Waterbender left in the South Pole, to helping the Avatar to defeat the people that were responsible for that…it brought grateful tears to my eyes.

I returned his bow, just as a melodic voice cut through the still afternoon air.

"_Earth, sky, day, night, sound and silence, dark and light_…" The voice changed to singing. "_One alone is not enough…you need both together…winter, summer, moon and sun…lesson number one_!" It was Emma's singing voice, and both Aang and I listened in silence.

"_Like a rock, huh-huh, you must be hard, huh-huh! Like an oak, you must stand firm, huh-huh! Cut quick, like my blade, huh-huh! Think fast…unafraid…_" As she sung, I realized that she was standing on the top of the cliff overlooking the pond Aang and I were standing in and, from the sounds of it, she was doing some training. I remembered how she'd said she'd trained with Suki and the other Kyoshi Warriors, as well as with a few other people. I'd seen her martial arts moves and, while she was still unsure of herself, there was no denying that she was getting really good at it. As she sang the first part of the song, I envisioned that she was moving swiftly, with a firm stance probably similar to Toph's when she was Earthbending.

I glanced at Aang, who was listening with rapt attention.

"_Like a cloud…you are soft…_" As the song changed, I envisioned Emma moving more like a Waterbender. "_Like bamboo, you bend in the wind…creeping slow you're at peace because you know…it's okay to be afraid…_" As she was singing this, I saw the water around me move in a different direction. I don't think she was doing it on purpose – I've Waterbended by accident many times before in my life…

I looked at Aang, who suddenly seemed to have a revelation. "I think I get it now!" He exclaimed.

"You do?" I asked hopefully.

He paused. "Well…I'm still not sure if I can Earthbend, but…the song's nice! It made me feel better!"

I smiled. "That's good." I told him…

_O~O~O~O_

**Toph's P.O.V:**

I riffled through Aang's stuff, looking for something that I could use to rile him up. I was frustrated now, but I wasn't about to give up! No way, no how – I was an Earthbender, and this was just another stubborn rock that was _refusing_ to get out of my way. I was gonna show that rock who the boss was, and it _would_ do as I said. Or else…

I paused when I came across something tucked into a bag that I _think_ belonged to Emma. It was a mask, smoothly polished and with two round attachments at the top, like an animal's ears. As I ran my hand along it, I became aware of something carved into the top part of the inside of the mask.

There were four different carvings there, each with a unique design and feel to it. One had three swirls in it, which I traced with my index finger. Next to it was a circle with different swirls in it. Another had three wavy lines, pointing vertical. The fourth was my favourite one – it had straight edges, and corners. It was like me, somehow…The one with three swirls was like Aang.

I smiled. I knew how to get Aang riled up now…

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I looked at the symbols of the four nations that my Uncle had drawn in the dirt with a stick. I listened intently this time, disallowing my mind to wander back to unwanted thoughts...

"Fire is the element of power." My Uncle explained. "The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will, and the energy and drive to achieve what they want."

Thinking about myself, my Father and my sister, I knew this to be true.

"Earth is the element of substance." My Uncle went on. "The people of the Earth Kingdom are diverse and strong. They are persistent and enduring."

I thought about the Earth Kingdom people I had met. They certainly were strong – they'd stood up to my Forefathers' armies for nearly a century…

"Air is the element of freedom." My Uncle smiled. "The Air Nomads detached themselves from worldly concerns and found peace and freedom. Also, they apparently had a pretty good sense of humor!"

My Uncle smiled wildly, but I just stared at him. I already knew that _one_ Air Nomad was cunning and witty, to an annoying degree…

My uncle cleared his throat. "Yes…well, Water is the element of change. The people of the Water Tribe are capable of adapting to many things. They have a deep sense of community and love that holds them together through anything."

_That's how they survived our invasion of the North Pole…_ I thought. _That's also probably why Emma became a Waterbender…she adapted to being in a whole new world…_

I suddenly realized this was a dangerous train of thought for me. I said: "Why are you telling these things?"

"It is important to draw wisdom from many different places." My Uncle replied. "If we take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale." He drew lines, separating each of the four symbols. "Understanding others, the other elements, and the other nations will help you become whole."

"All this four elements talk is starting to sound like Avatar stuff." I commented.

"It is the combination of the four elements in one person that makes the Avatar so powerful." My Uncle explained to me. "But, it can make you powerful too." He poked me in the chest with his stick. "You see, the technique I am about to teach you is one I learned by studying Waterbenders." He circled the symbols.

"Uncle…" I ventured, deciding to allow myself to think about _her_ one last time today. "When you were training Emma…did you know which element she would be?"

My Uncle looked thoughtful. He stroked his beard, and replied: "I knew that she would be a bender, and that her style of fighting would most likely be Yin at first. She was a fast-learner, and a willing student. I believe she will be able to learn many different styles of fighting."

I thought about the Wanted poster I had seen, and closed my eyes briefly for a second. _Yeah, that's an understatement…_

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I knew that Sokka was missing, and also what would happen when Aang found him, so I deliberately made myself scarce, and decided to practice some bending.

Standing in the same pond Katara and Aang had been training in earlier, I now began to shift through my Waterbending stances. As I felt my chi rise up, I began to push and pull the water around me, before crafting it into a steady stream around me.

I was smiling, even though I was concentrating. No matter how many times I did this, it was still awesome. It was something I'd dreamed about doing, and even pretended to do at the beach a few times. Then, I'd realized Japanese tourists had been taking photos of me, and so I'd stopped. Well, I could've always said I was just doing Tai Chi…

As I moved through my techniques, thoughts of Prince Zuko learning how to redirect lightning from Uncle Iroh flooded into my mind, stirring my subconscious emotions. I began to move differently, something sparking a strange feeling inside of me.

My movements became less Waterbender-y, less…Yin…I didn't really know what I was doing, until I punched my fist forward, and a rock flew up straight from under the water, and shot forwards, smashing into the cliff.

I gasped. "I can't believe this!" I exclaimed. "How CAN I bend _two_ elements, huh?"

I threw my hand sup in the air, as I voice behind me remarked: "That's what _I'd_ like to know."

I spun around, to find Katara standing there, arms crossed. She didn't look upset, just confused.

"K-Katara…" I stammered, taking a half-step back. "I…I…this is…I don't know how this is happening…"

"I actually might have an idea." The Waterbender admitted. "You said you come from another world, correct?" I nodded. "Well…maybe, in that world, you're the A…"

I cut her off. "I _can't_ be, because nobody else in that world can bend (that I know of)." I shook my head. "I can't be the…the…_you-know-what_."

"That's the only explanation that fits." Katara told me. "Have you told the others yet?"

I shook my head. "I should…the spirits said I should…"

"Spirits?" Katara cocked her head to one side.

I gulped. Perhaps telling her that I could see dead people _wasn't_ such a smart move. "Umm…you know my pink light…? It helps me to channel into the Spirit World and stuff like that…"

I guess that statement might've confirmed to Katara that I really was a _you-know-what_…

No, I _couldn't_ be! _Aang_ was! I didn't want to be a real-life Mary-Sue! I just wanted to be…_me_…

_O~O~O~O_

As Katara ran towards Aang, Sokka and Toph, I stood back, nervous about telling them all the truth.

As Aang was announcing that he could Earthbend, Katara turned to me and gave me a pointed look.

I gulped. "Umm…"

"Hey, Emma?" Toph called. "I found your mask and borrowed it for awhile." She tossed me my red mask. "You don't mind that I wore it for awhile?"

I gaped, and then looked over at Aang. From the look on his face, I knew that he recognized it.

I sighed, and then said: "Guys…I gotta tell you something…"


	31. Castles In The Sand

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Castles In The Sand

_"I actually might have an idea." The Waterbender admitted. "You said you come from another world, correct?" I nodded. "Well…maybe, in that world, you're the A…"_

_I cut her off. "I can't be, because nobody else in that world can bend (that I know of)." I shook my head. "I can't be the…the…you-know-what."_

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"Emma, is Yang-Chong okay?" Katara asked me. "He's been looking dreadful for days…"

Yang-Chong coughed as if to say 'I can still hear you, you know?'. One of his golden tail feathers fell out.

"He's just getting ready to die and be reborn." I said placidly, Waterbending a little orb of water between Katara and me. We'd been practicing like this, as Aang created his own orchestra with the prairie dogs.

"This is great and all," Sokka interrupted us. "But don't we have more important things to worry about? We should be making plans."

"We did make plans." Toph said. "We're all picking mini-vacations."

"There's no time for vacations." Sokka replied.

"I'm learning the elements as fast as I can." Aang looked up at Sokka with his big, grayish-brown eyes. "I practice hard everyday with Toph and Katara, and even Emma's been helping me, now that we know she can Earthbend. I've been training my arrow off."

The way Aang said it…it sounded so casual. I'd been worried about telling them, so much that I'd nearly panicked and, when I eventually _had_…

_O~O~O~O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O~O~O~O_

_"Guys…I gotta tell you something…" The look on my face must've alerted them that something was amiss, because they all stopped what they were doing a looked at me (well, Toph didn't _look_, but anyways…)._

_Katara gave me an encouraging smile, and motioned with her hands._

_I nodded, and stepped back. My palms were sweating, and a suddenly had trouble swallowing. I managed to, and then said, before I could chicken out again: "I can…Earthbend too…"_

_"_What_? !" Aang and Sokka exclaimed in unison._

_"I knew it." Toph spoke up, casually picking her fingernails._

_"Huh?" The rest of us looked at her._

_Toph shrugged. "She _looks_ like an Earthbender…and, I mean that in non-physical sense…"_

_"That's what King Bumi said…" Aang mused, but then he shook his head quickly, still in shock. "But, I mean, you're a _Waterbender_…how can…?"_

_I didn't know what to say, and just looked at the ground._

_At last Sokka, ever the diplomatic one, said: "Okay, not that we don't believe you, but…prove it." He crossed his arms._

_I was startled. "What…you mean…like, Earthbend right now?" No pressure or anything! It was like one of those dreams were you go to school in your underwear, or like the times a teacher asks you a question and you have no idea what the answer is! I was put on the spot! Trapped!_

_"I've seen her do it," Katara interrupted, giving her brother a Look. "She doesn't have to prove anything…"_

_"Wait…" I said, my heart hammering in my chest, but a sudden determination building up inside of me. "Wait, hang on a minute…" I took a deep breath, and glanced at Aang. He was watching me, a look of anticipation on his young face. I nodded, and closed my eyes, trying to pretend that I was back in the Cave Of Two Lovers, with that badger-mole thingie. I took a deep breath, trying to focus on my chi like I had before. If I couldn't get it now, I'd be EXTREMELY embarrassed._

_I remembered what Uncle Iroh had said to me awhile back, back when I'd been travelling with him and Zuko out at sea. It had practically been another life-time ago, but still…_

_The Earth Benders use deep, low stances, coupled with strong hand techniques. There is emphasis on firm, solid stances. The more connected they are to the earth, the more powerful they will become._

_I had nodded, not really paying much attention to it because it didn't apply to me then. _Now_, however, I used a similar stance to when I'd confronted Yang-Chong's kidnapper._

_"She has good posture." I heard Katara whisper to Toph._

_"It lacks emphasis." The blind girl whispered back._

_I took another deep breath, and then snapped my eyes open. I spun, and then stomped the ground with my heel, using my chi to draw up a boulder (well, a large rock). I then punched it, although this might've been a mistake since I hadn't trained the way Aang and Toph had._

_Hiding the fact that my knuckles were now bleeding, I looked at Sokka. "_See_?" I asked him._

_He looked at me in disbelief._

_"This is…" Aang spoke up, looking awed. "Incredible…amazing even…"_

_"It's not _that_ great." Toph and I said in unison._

_"You're right, it's not," Aang agreed. "It was uneducated, lacked training and…"_

_"Was downright sloppy." Toph put in._

_"I don't like either of you right now." I muttered darkly._

_"But…you're a Waterbender…" Aang tilted his head slightly to the left. "_Aren't_ you…?"_

_I paused. "I was…I mean, I _am_…I think…I mean, I can bend _both_, so…"_

_"Well, you come from another world," Katara said calmly. "Who knows, you could be the…"_

_"I'm not!" I cried quickly, shaking my head. "No way, no how – I am _not_ the messiah of my world!" The Kung Fu Action Jesus Girl, the personification of my world, the You-Know-What!_

_From the way they were all looking at me, though, I wondered if they were thinking that I _might_ be…_

_O~O~O~O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O~O~O~O_

"Yeah, what's wrong with having a little fun in our downtime?" Katara was now asking.

Sokka folded his arms. "Even if you _do_ master all of the elements, then what? It's not like we have a map of the Fire Nation."

I fidgeted nervously. _I_ had a map of the Fire Nation, in my book, although it was a little bit outdated. I wasn't about to tell them that, though.

"Should we just head west until we reach the Fire Lord's house?" Sokka continued, miming knocking on a door. "Knock knock! Hello, Fire Lord? Anybody home?" Sokka gave Aang a Look. "I don't think so. We need some intelligence if we're gonna win this war."

Aang played a note on the flute he'd been using to orchestrate the prairie dogs, and one emerged from a hole beneath Sokka and sang, startling the Water Tribe warrior.

Katara giggled, and said: "Alright, we'll finish our vacations, and then we'll look for Sokka's intelligence."

_O~O~O~O_

I eyed Katara. She eyed me back.

Aang stood between us, in anticipation.

"Ready?" He asked us both.

We nodded.

"One, two, three!" Aang chanted, and Katara and I each played our hand.

"Yay! Earth beats water!" I cheered, pumping my fist into the air. "That means that _I_ get to decide where to go for the next mini-vacation!"

Katara looked disappointed, and Sokka just looked impatient, but Aang smiled warmly and unrolled the map out on a rock in front of us. "Where do you want to go then?" The Airbender asked me.

"I have no idea." I admitted.

Everyone groaned and just about fell over, until I remembered something.

"Oh! Wait, there is somewhere I want to go, just for lunch…" I dug into my bag and pulled out a flyer.

"What'dya do, steal that off a building?" Sokka asked me, glancing at the flyer from behind me.

"_No_," I replied, defensively, glaring at him over my shoulder. "_Yang-Chong_ found it for me," I smoothed the flyer out on the map. "I recognize _this_ symbol," I pointed. "It means singing, and this one here means contest." I pointed to another symbol. "It's a singing contest!" I chirped.

"Your two favourite words." Sokka said sarcastically.

"Stop it," Katara told her brother sternly. To me, she said: "This is perfect." She pointed. "See, it says here that the location is _exactly_ where _I_ want to go."

"Where's that?" Aang smiled at her.

"Misty Palms Oasis." The Waterbender replied, pointing to a spot on our map. "It sounds refreshing."

"Oh, yeah, I've been there," Aang nodded enthusiastically. "It's a pristine natural ice-spring, and I don't usually use the word pristine. It's one of nature's wonders."

_O~O~O~O_

**Somebody's P.O.V:**

I walked across the sand, wishing that my shoes weren't quite so…blistery. My entire body was aching, especially my legs, and I felt like the sun was beating down twice as hard, just to spite me. Why, Sun? I never did anything to wrong you…I loved you, I respected you…I _used_ you, but anyways…who doesn't? Who _doesn't_?

I was stubborn, though, as _usual_. I _wasn't_ going to let this beat me. I was going to keep on going, as I always did, facing up to my much larger enemies and doing it with attitude. That was how I'd managed to survive for so long, and it was how I was going to manage now.

I walked through the sandy town, and that was when I heard it. The sound of someone singing.

"_I had to drop out of high school, everybody treated me so cruel, but I didn't give in, didn't give her away…_"

I blinked, and tilted my head to the right to listen. It sounded like…it could be…yes, it _was_…

I started hurrying through the town, towards where the crowd was.

"_I'm gonna hold on, cause what I believe in is so strong, no matter how long, no one, can tell me I'm wrong, I ain't going down…_"

I wanted to see this for myself, to find out if it really _was_ her…but, then I tripped and fell, landing hard on the ground. My stomach give a painful jolt, and I clenched the sand with my fists.

"_Her smile got me through the day, and every night I'd pray, I could give her enough…at night, I'd lie awake and cry, hoping we'd get by, cause' you can't live on love…_"

I was in so much pain right now, I felt sick. Amazing how a few months of being by yourself could make you so weak. I used to be so much stronger…I couldn't give up, though…

"_I worked night and day to keep us going, through the sweat and the tears without her knowing, but it was worth it just to watch her grow – oh-h – and if I was able to hold her, whenever she needed my shoulder, I'm so glad I never let her go…_"

I stopped trying to get up, and listened in awed silence.

"_I'm gonna hold on, cause what I believe in is so strong, no matter how long, no one, can tell me I'm wrong, I ain't going down…_"

I closed my amber eyes briefly, listening to the song.

"_Her smile, got me through the years, dried away the tears, and filled me with hope! At night, I'd lie awake and cry, pray we would get by, and for the courage to cope, oh-oh…_"

I felt myself begin to slide out of consciousness again, a feeling I'd become all too familiar with as of late. I couldn't do anything, and just blacked out, listening to a voice I remembered from practically another life-time ago…

I whispered into the sands: "I won't give up…"

_O~O~O~O_

**Sokka's P.O.V:**

We all stood in the doorway of the bar in the so-called Misty Palms Oasis, which was basically the seediest place we'd ever been to. We were all watching a man ordering something from the bartender.

With skill and finesse worthy of any fine swordsman, the bartender sliced and diced the fruit into smaller sections, and dumped them and some water into a bowl to create the drink. For the finishing touch, he added a bamboo straw and a small, green umbrella.

Katara, Aang, Emma and I were all very impressed.

Thoughtfully, I said: "I don't see anything wrong with having one of those fruity beverages while we plan our strategy."

From beside me, Emma nodded. "I'll buy." She patted the bag of gold coins at her side. "I think I could make a living out of this…" On her shoulder, Yang-Chong coughed. He looked like he was ready to fall off at any moment, but Emma didn't seem too concerned about this. I'd heard her tell him to 'get on with it' at one point…

"That was a weird song." I reminded her.

She and Katara hadn't seemed to think so, and had just had a lengthy discussion about helping to deliver babies into the world…eek…

Just then, Aang bumped into the man who'd just ordered one mango juice, which now spilled over both of them. We all froze, but Aang said: "No worries, I clean up easy."

He used his Airbending to dry them both off, and the man was in awe.

"You're a living relic!" He proclaimed.

"Thanks." Aang replied modestly. "I try."

Rolling my eyes, I grabbed Emma's hand and dragged her up to the bar. Emma yanked her hand back, looking pained. I glanced down at my own hand, and saw blood on them.

I looked back up in shock, but Emma had disappeared, leaving her bag of gold coins and Yang-Chong behind.

"What's with her?" I asked the phoenix, who just chirped weakly, spitting out a few trails of smoke. "What's with _you_?" Sheesh, was _everybody_ unwell these days? I turned back to the bartender and, wiping the blood off my hands, began to order our drinks.

As I was handing Katara hers, a stranger came up to us and said: "Nice-looking phoenix you got there." We looked up at the very tall man, who was either Earth Kingdom or, at the very worst, Fire Nation… "Would ya be…_interested_ in a trade? How about it, then?"

"How about _no_?" Toph said, giving the man her best icy-stare.

"I _wasn't_ asking." The man threatened, and all three of us tensed.

Just then, Emma returned and, swiftly, assessed the situation. "What's going on here?" She asked, as Yang-Chong hopped onto her arm. "You wanna know what happened to the _last_ guy who tried to obtain this bird?" She had her back to me, but I could tell from her voice the kind of look that she was giving the man.

He, however, seemed unfazed, that is until the punched him in the face, sending him flying backwards and into an old table.

Everyone stared at us in shock.

With the air of someone trying her best to remain composed, Emma turned and marched off to join Aang and the professor at their table.

Turning back to the bartender, I said: "I'll take a cabbage juice for her, thanks – no sugar."

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"This is a _very_ rare specimen indeed!" Professor Zei exclaimed, scribbling a quick drawing of Yang-Chong in his notebook. The phoenix gazed weakly at him, although there was a certain gleam in his bright blue eyes. "Oh, if _only_ I could have seen him in his prime! Tell me, how old is he? How many times has he burned before? Does he always follow the exact same patterns with his life-cycle? What special _powers_ does he have? What did his egg look like? What do you feed him when he is reborn? How did he hatch?"

Aang and I exchanged a glance (Aang was grinning at the professor's enthusiasm) and, with a sigh, I tried to answer all of the professor's questions in order. "Umm, he only hatched this year, but he's burned once…I didn't see it, though. Uh, he seems to have taken a bit longer to get to this stage than he did last time…let's see…he hatched during the destruction of the Fire Temple on Crescent Moon Island, and then burned up at the North Pole, just after the siege…yeah, it's been a bit longer. Hmm, special powers…well, he's really strong, and his tears have healing powers…he can breathe fire, and he can also absorb both it and lightning, if that's what it was…yeah. Anyways, his egg was gold with his name engraved onto it, it was about _this_ big," I indicated with my hands. "I feed him tiny glowing embers for the first few days, to build up his internal fire-sac, and then he hunts for himself. And…he hatched because I nearly fell into a volcano." I gave Aang a Look.

"Yeah, sorry about that…" Aang looked sheepish.

"I forgive you." I replied sweetly.

"Fascinating…" The professor was in his element, scribbling down notes as fast as he possibly could. It made my hand hurt just _watching_ him, and not just because I'd nearly broken my hand on that other guy's face. "Utterly fascinating, how such rare creatures come into this world…"

"I once heard about one who hatched after being dropped into a cup of tea." I remarked, and then glanced down at the fruit drink Sokka had placed in front of me. "Something tells me that this is _not_ tea, Sokka…"

Sokka ignored me. "So, professor, you're obviously a well-travelled guy. Do you have a more current map? Ours seems to be a little outdated…"

"Certainly." The professor nodded, handing the map to Sokka to unroll.

Toph lounged across two chairs, her legs crossed as she sipped a pink fruit drink and probably tried to tune all us seeing-people out. Aang was trying a strange transparent-coloured fruit drink.

I sipped on my green one, and made a face. Ugh, cabbages…I thought about the cabbage merchant, and nearly started laughing. _My cabbages!_

The professor's map didn't have the Fire Nation on it, though, and Sokka was disappointed, until we started talking about the library.

Toph was the one who wasn't impressed by it, but the rest of us realized that we might just find some valuable information about the Fire Nation in that library. I however, was also worrying about what was going to happen…I glanced sideways at Aang…should I warn him? Would he be upset if I didn't? Would the story-line change too much if I _did_?

Sokka's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Then it's settled. Aang, I do believe it's my turn." I covered my mouth with my good hand to hide my smile. "I'd like to spend my vacation," He pointed his finger into the air and dramatically announced: "AT THE LIBRARY! !"

Toph waved to him. "Uh, hey? What about me? When do _I_ get to pick?"

Sokka folded his arms. "You gotta work here a little longer before you qualify for vacation time."

As Toph sulked, a random thought occurred to me. _Do I…have a JOB now? Did I just unknowingly accomplish what I've been TRYING to do for the last two years now? Wow…_

_O~O~O~O_

We were flying along on Appa. Most of us were looking for the library, but I was busy tying a bandage around my hand, which had swollen slightly. I knew that Yang-Chong couldn't heal it with his tears right now, and that we needed to conserve our water for, oh, I dunno, SURVIVAL. So, it was back to the good old-fashioned bandages for now.

I caught Sokka looking at me from underneath his makeshift turban, and just smiled and waved him away with my good hand. I think I may have gotten blood on him – that rock had _not_ been kind to my knuckles. I wasn't sure I'd be able to use my hand for awhile, which worried me. Well, at least my _left_ hand still worked…

"_There it is_!" Toph suddenly exclaimed and, despite myself, I ended up looking.

Damn, she made me look!

I had to try and remind myself that Toph was blind. She acted so sure of herself, and so confident, that it was very easy to forget. I'd often wondered how the other characters could've forgotten, but now I knew better…

"Hey, professor," I asked him, remembering something I'd been thinking about. I dug into my bag and got out the two books I always carried with me. "Do you know who wrote these, or where they came from?"

The professor looked at them, and seemed in awe. "These…these are _very_ rare editions of such books…where did you get them from?" He held up the Fire Nation book. "This book of Fire Nation Legends I have only ever _read_ about in other books! It is said that it was written by the _first_ ever Fire Lady, Antian, upon her succession to the throne from stories she used to tell her children before bed." His eyes sparkled. Knowledge!

"Even the one about the peasant and the dragon?" I blinked.

"Even so," The professor nodded wisely. "Where did you get it from?"

"Uh…it kinda fell into my possession by mistake…" I said evasively, and then pointed to the other book. "_That_ one I got from a priest. Said it had something to do with priests and priestesses and stuff and that I should read it. Who's it by?"

The professor shrugged. "No idea. I have never even _seen_ such a book before, but I have _heard_ of them…so, how far have you gotten in it?"

My shoulders sagged. I was afraid that he was going to ask that question. "Not very far…I can't read terribly well, so I…you know…"

The professor was shocked. "C-can't _read_? ! But then…well, how do you _survive_?"

"I don't know." I replied, shaking my head as we flew towards something of interest…

As we landed in front of a spire sticking out from the sand, I realized that the library was _beneath_ us, but didn't say anything because just then I spotted a large grey fox.

"Oh, cute." I said. I love foxes. I always used to read _The Animals Of Farthing Wood_ when I was a kid. It was, like, my _favourite_ TV series, too…

The fox had a scroll in its mouth and, as we all watched it (Him? Her?), it disappeared through one of the windows of the spire.

_That_ was when the others discovered that we were standing on top of the library, which had been buried by sand for all these years. If my Dad was here, he would've _loved_ this, I reckoned. He'd always been in to anthropology and paleontology and all that sort of stuff. In fact, it was probably because of _him_ that I'd watched _The Land Before Time_ as a kid. Dad had always wanted to go on an archeology dig, but it was just too expensive…I felt kinda bad about that now…

"That fox thingy went in through a window." Sokka was saying, gazing up at the spire. "I say we _climb_ up there and give it a look."

Toph spoke up just then. She had her arms crossed in a defiant sort of way. "I say you guys go ahead without me." She turned away.

"You got something against libraries?" Katara wanted to know.

Toph turned back to her. "I've held books before," She said, carelessly. "And, I gotta tell ya, they don't exactly do it for me."

I face palmed, as Katara laughed nervously and scratched the back of her head. "Oh, right. Sorry…"

"Let me know if they have something you can listen to!" Toph suggested brightly.

Sokka took out his boomerang and began tying a rope to it. Then, he turned to me, and said: "Emma, what did you do to your hand?"

The others all looked at me, as I sheepishly held up my injured hand and said: "Umm, broke my hand on a rock…_and_, on that other guy's face…"

Katara sighed. "Maybe you'd better stay out here too…" She glanced back up at spire, as Sokka threw his boomerang through the window. "It looks like we'll be doing a lot of climbing."

I nodded. "Okay – bring me back a present." I suggested cheerfully.

"Okay!" Sokka called back down to me.

"We can't _take_ something from the library!" Katara rolled her eyes, but then she gave me a smile and began to climb the rope also.

Aang was petting Appa. "Don't worry buddy. I'm not making you go underground ever again. You can stay out here with Emma and Toph."

I realized that this was the last time they were going to be seeing each other for awhile, and my heart began to pound as Aang started to ascend the rope. "A-Aang!" I stammered out, calling after him.

"Yes?" He turned back around and gave me a questioning look.

I glanced from him to Appa and back to him again, and then sighed. "N-nothing. Just…hurry back, okay?"

"Okay!" He replied cheerfully, and was soon gone.

I turned back to see Toph and Appa look away from each other, and then back again.

Appa grunted softly.

"What's up?" Toph replied, as I settled myself onto the sand with my back leaning against the sand collecting around the spire. Maybe I could go to sleep now…?

_O~O~O~O_

About fifteen minutes later, I was awakened by Toph talking to Appa.

"So," She said. "You like flying?"

Appa grunted and scratched his ear in response.

"Of course, I'm more comfortable on the ground," She told him. "Where I can see. Well, I don't _see_ the way you do. I feel the vibration in the ground with my feet." She picked up a handful of sand and let it sift through her fingers. Appa looked at it. "But this sand is so loose and shifty. It makes everything look fuzzy." Appa yawned. "Not that there's anything _wrong_ with fuzzy." Toph assured him, and then seemed to realize that I was awake. "Oh, hey, you're up, sleepy-head."

I nodded, and then remembered that she couldn't see me. (Damn!). I got up and stretched, going over to sit by her, Appa and Yang-Chong, who looked like he was on his last leg.

"Hey, Toph, you know those guys that were looking at Appa before, the Sandbenders?" I asked her.

She nodded. "Yeah, those guys…what about them?"

"How long do you reckon it would've taken them to learn how to bend the sand like that?" I sat back and looked up at the sky, shielding my face from the sun. I was wearing my square-scarf burqa-style, but the sun was still hot. I couldn't _wait_ for night to fall – it would be a lot cooler here, then…

"Those guys have lived out here for spirits know how long," Toph replied. "They've adapted to this particular place, and so would have easily been able to master the art. For other Earthbenders, though, it's not as simple. See, sand's _so_ loose and shifty that it's a difficult transition to make between _normal_ earth and _that_."

"Could _you_ do it?" I asked her.

She lifted her head. "Of _course_ I can – I'm going to work on it, but not today." She yawned widely. "Today, is _all_ about _relaxing_ for me." She leaned back against Appa's fur.

I sighed. "Good talk, Toph…"

_O~O~O~O_

About an hour and a half after Aang and the others had gone down into the library, I had taken out my gear and began sorting through it all. I knew that the Sandbenders were going to get rid of all the stuff in the saddle, and the thought burned me up inside.

I quickly sorted through our things, figuring out which things could be carried, and which we'd just have to go without. I sipped on some tea I'd made earlier and stored in a spare water bag. It tasted…okay…II missed Uncle Iroh's tea, though…

I carried most of the stuff over to where I thought it would be safe when the library started to sink…

I saw Aang's bison-whistle lying on the ground, and picked it up, frowning. It must've fallen out of her robes when he'd been climbing the tower.

"He's going to lose this if he keeps this up." I told Appa, holding up the whistle, and then going over to Toph. "What's this made out of, T-Girl?"

She held it in her hand. "Clay, like earthenware. And, _T-Girl_?" She repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," I replied. "Like, Toph-Girl, Top-Girl or _Tough_-Girl. It's a nickname. Anyway, do you think that you can make a little hole in the top of the whistle, so that I can thread something to it? Otherwise, Aang's just gonna keep losing it." Visions of the lost-whistle danced in my head, taunting me.

Toph shrugged, and then handed the whistle back to me, now with a perfect-shaped hole in it for the thread to go through. I used one of my two remaining red ribbons as the thread, and made sure there was enough space left to lift it over a head, if necessary.

"There." I said, admiring my handiwork. Aang would thank me for this later. I glanced at the whistle. "Better make sure it still works." I blew into it once, hard.

Appa roared, and tried to cover his ears with his front paws.

I immediately tossed the whistle the Toph (it hit her on the forehead…) and hurried over to Appa. "Oh, I'm sorry, honey, sorry!" I patted the arrow on his forehead in sincere apology.

"Hey, what about _me_?" Toph complained.

I turned to her. "Oh, sorry…you're tough, though, right?"

She shrugged and 'hrmphed'. I smiled and sat down beside her, giving her the whistle which she put around her neck.

"Anyway," I told her. "You remind me of someone I met before. Her name was Karai, and she was a lot like you – short, and by all appearances harmless, but once you got her riled up – wow! She was stubborn, too."

"Thanks." Toph said, sarcastically.

"No, no, I mean that in a good way!" I sighed, and looked up at the sky. "I dunno what happened to her, though…she left without saying goodbye…I wonder what she's doing right now…" I sighed again.

"Well, wherever she is, I'll bet she can _see_." Toph poked her left foot into the sand. "_I'm sick and tired of this giant sandcastle_!" She yelled, kicking at the sand now with both of her heels.

The ground around us suddenly began to shake and rumble.

I leapt to my feet. "Oh, Toph, what have you _done_? !" I exclaimed, as Toph got up and joined me, looking at the spire.

"Library's sinking." Toph said, and then gasped. "_Library's sinking_!" She ran up to it and jabbed it with her hands, causing cracks to spread across it. I was in awe, as she managed to slow the spire down and stop it from sinking, but then she called to me: "Don't just stand there, help me out, Earthbender-wannabe!"

"You know," I said, coming up to her and placing my palms on the wall. No cracks appeared, but I felt…_something_. "At least I come up with _nice_ nicknames for all of you!" I felt pain shoot down my right hand, and immediately withdrew it, not wishing to go through pain.

The library immediately began sinking again.

"Toph!" I cried, before turning around suddenly and seeing a large cloud of dust approaching us. "The Sandbenders!" I gasped, as Appa roared.

"What? !" Toph gasped, straining with the library's weight.

"Keep it steady!" I yelled to her, running through the dust cloud towards Appa. "Appa!" I shouted, hurrying to stand in front of him. "Appa!" I heard Yang-Chong call to me through the sand, which was stinging at my eyes, and immediately switched my focus to him. "_No, Yang-Chong! Stay back! Go and get the others out of the library, like you helped me out at the pirate's cave! GO_! !" I screamed to him, just as a rope swung out from nowhere and wrapped around one of Appa's legs. "_NO_!" I screamed, trying to summon up some water from the water pouch I'd tossed aside a few minutes ago. It was hard, with only one arm.

"_Put a muzzle on him_!" One of the Sandbenders, Gashuin, shouted.

Through the fog I heard Toph calling to me: "_Emma, what's happening_? !"

"_Sandbenders_!" I yelled back to her, as the swirling sand cut at my Water Tribe robes, and at my skin. "_They're everywhere, I can't…_" A Sandbender suddenly sprung forwards out of the dust-storm and grabbed my only good arm. I screamed as he wrenched it behind my back. "_My arm! Toph, I can't hold them off, I CAN'T! !_" Tears stung at my eyes, as my head-scarf was blown off by the winds, and Appa roared in pain and anger at the muzzle now being wrapped around him. "_APPA, NO! I'M NOT LEAVING HIM_!"

"_EMMA_!" Toph nearly screamed.

"_TAKE CARE OF YANG-CHONG FOR ME_! !" I yelled back to her. "_PLEASE_!"

"_This one will fetch a high-price at one of the harems around here_! _Too bad we didn't get the phoenix, though_!" Gashuin suddenly said, and my eyes widened. What? No! A harem was a…I didn't think they _had_ those places here!

"_No_!" I shouted, just as something heavy struck the back of my neck.

My last image was of Appa, struggling as the Sandbenders tied more ropes around him. My last thought was that, at the very least, Yang-Chong was safe this time around. My last word was: "_Aang_…"

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

We were all immensely relieved when Yang-Chong showed up, because Aang couldn't hold us all on his glider anymore. Yang-Chong, though he appeared to be suffering, grabbed us all in his talons and lifted us up, out of the library and away from the angry owl spirit, carrying us to safety.

As the library sank beneath us, I saw that Toph had been holding the library up, but now she sank to her knees on the sand.

As we all landed on said sand, my brother cheered. "We got it. There's a solar eclipse coming." He and I hugged. "The Fire Nation is in trouble now!"

Just then, Yang-Chong gave a distressed cry. The sound of it reverberated across the sands.

We all looked at him, and then over to Toph, who had her head in her hands. Her back was to us. She clutched a red-ribbon in them, from which hung the bison-whistle.

Aang approached her. "Where are Appa and Emma?" He asked her softly, unsure.

Toph shook her head, and groaned sadly. "Captured…" She whispered.

Aang froze, and all the colour drained from his face. A single tear slid down from his eye…


	32. Somewhere Out There

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Somewhere Out There

_Aang approached her. "Where are Appa and Emma?" He asked her softly, unsure._

_Toph shook her head, and groaned sadly. "Captured…" _

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

It was hard to believe that, only a short while ago, we'd been trekking through an ancient library and angering an owl-spirit, and now we had just discovered that, while we'd been gone, Emma and Appa had both been captured.

It didn't take Aang long at all to get upset, and he directed his anger at the most eligible person who, for once, didn't fight back.

"How could you let them get taken? !" Aang shouted. "Why didn't you _do_ something? !" I could understand how he was feeling. It wasn't fair to Toph, but it was also to be expected.

"I _couldn't_!" Toph defended herself. I could also tell that she was upset. She was clutching Emma's red ribbon with the bison whistle still attached to it, like it was her lifeline connecting her to everything. "The library was sinking! You guys were still inside, and –"

Aang cut her off. "You could have come to get us! I could have _helped_ her! We could have _saved him_!"

"Yang-Chong _tried_ to get to you in time!" Toph protested. "And, the Sandbenders snuck up on us! There wasn't any time for –"

"You just didn't care!" Aang accused. "You never _liked_ Appa! You wanted him gone!"

I decided that it was time to intervene, since I could see that Toph was wishing that the sand would just open up and swallow her. Besides, it wasn't getting us anywhere.

"Aang, stop it." I said, firmly but gently. I placed my hand onto his left shoulder. "You know Toph did all she could. She saved our lives." I felt terrible for both of them, but it wasn't going to help us by fighting. I didn't even want to _think_ about Appa and Emma, captured…who knew what could happen to them both?

"Who's going to save our lives now?" My brother complained. "We'll never make it out of here…"

"That's all any of you guys care about – yourselves!" Aang said angrily. "You don't care whether Appa is okay or not! Emma was the only other one who _did_!"

"We're all concerned, but we can't afford to be fighting now." I said gently, my heart twisting into knots.

Aang glared at Toph, which she seemed to sense. "I'm going after them." He said, and grabbed the bison-whistle from her.

Her face took on a look of great distress, as Aang took to the skies, followed by a barely-able-to-fly Yang-Chong. The phoenix was crying softly, and mournfully, as he struggled to keep up with the Airbender, who seemed only vaguely aware of the bird's presence as they disappeared into the distance.

After I realized that Aang wasn't going to come back, I said to the other two: "We'd better start walking. We're the only people who know about the solar eclipse. We _have_ to get that information to Ba-Sing-Se." I took Toph's hand and led her away, carrying with us the few things that had been left behind.

Sokka asked: "You think if we dig out the giant owl, he'll give us a ride?" Referring to the owl spirit that had tried to kill us…yeah, right…

_O~O~O~O_

**Somebody's P.O.V:**

I opened my eyes slowly, feeling sand and grit all through them. "Nnn…where…where am I?" I asked, slowly rubbing my eyes.

"The question might be," Said an unfamiliar male voice from next to me. "Who _are_ you?"

"What's it to ya?" I replied stubbornly, trying to sit up. I was starting to get some of my vision back. Damn sand! "Where I go's _my_ business, Mister…which reminds me, where's my bow and arrow?" I'd been carrying it around with me, as a means of defense. I'd become quite good at forging my own arrows.

"Your weapons are here, young one, and yet it surprises me that a flower could survive in such a harsh climate, or even _want_ to..." The old man replied evenly.

"The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all." I muttered, finally succeeding in clearing out my eyes, and turning to look at the old man.

The man smiled at me. "Indeed it is." He replied kindly, handing me a cup of tea. "Here, drink this, young one. It will restore your strength."

I took the tea cup from him, but said: "You know, you sound like a guy I used to know…" I took a sip from the tea. It had a jasmine flavour to it. "Old, spoke in proverbs, _loved_ jasmine tea…and Pai Sho." I took another sip. "I wonder whatever happened to good old General Iroh…"

The man's eyes widened slightly. "You _know_ him?"

I glanced at him over my tea cup, my scarlet eyes suddenly suspicious. "_Yes_…?"

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

An hour later, we were still walking through the sea of sand, and all of us were starting to feel the heat.

Behind me, Sokka slowed down to attempt to fashion Momo into a hat. When Toph walked into him, he snapped: "_Can't_ you watch where you're –"_No_." Toph said testily.

"Right. Sorry." Sokka replied.

I turned around. "Come on guys, we've got to stick together." _Somehow…if we manage to survive this…_

Sokka made a discovery – a large cactus – and immediately cut off a piece and drank from it, despite my warnings. Momo followed suit, as Toph and I stood back, warily.

We watched (?) as Sokka blinked, and his face took on a stranger look than I'd ever seen before.

"Drink cactus juice!" He announced. "It'll quench ya! Nothing's quenchier! It's the quenchiest!"

I watched his inchworm impression, and then poured out the rest of the "cactus juice".

"_Okay_…I _think_ you've had enough…" I told him.

"Who lit Toph on fire?" Sokka replied.

Momo spun in a circle and dive-bombed the ground.

"Can I get some of that cactus?" Toph asked me.

"I don't think that's a good idea." I told her. "Come on, we need to find Aang."

"How did we get out here in the middle of the ocean?" Sokka wanted to know.

"Uhh…" I glanced at him, and then looked up at the mushroom cloud that had just appeared beyond the dune that we were climbing. "What _is_ that?"

"What?" Toph looked around. "What is what?"

Sokka had the answer. "It's a…_giant mushroom_!" He said in awe. "_Maybe it's friendly_!"

"Let's just keep moving," I suggested, grabbing Toph's hand and dragging her away. "I hope Aang's okay…" I whispered.

"_Friendly mushroom_!" Sokka echoed from behind me. "_Mushy giant friend_!"

_O~O~O~O_

Aang returned to us at sunset, but his spirits were even lower than before. He had the bison whistle tied around his neck, and he looked the picture of depression right now.

"I'm sorry, Aang." I told him quietly. "I know it's hard for you right now, but we need to focus on getting out of here."

"What's the difference?" Aang asked listlessly. "We won't survive without Appa. We all know it."

"Come on, Aang!" I said. "We can do this if we work together. Right, Toph?" I asked the Earthbender.

"As far as I can feel," She replied. "We're trapped in a giant bowl of sand pudding. I got nothin'." Yang-Chong, perched on her shoulder, coughed weakly in agreement.

"Sokka?" I asked, turning to him. "Any ideas how to find Ba-Sing-Se?"

My brother and Momo were lying on their backs in the sand, staring at the sky. Sokka smiled blissfully and pointed skywards.

"Why don't we ask the circle-birds?" He said.

The "circle-birds" in question were circling for a reason, but there was _no_ way I was letting them get a free feed out of this!

We were lost, tired, upset and, in Sokka's case, delirious. We were _all_ worried about our missing team members, and feeling the weight of the world at the moment. I was stuck out here in the desert, as far away from my beloved water as I could get. I was stuck out here with a girl who couldn't see, a hallucinating brother and likewise lemur, a dying bird and a boy who was acting like he'd just lost hid best friend (which, I forced myself to remember, he _had_). I was the only sane one left in the group right now, and that was _definitely_ enough to get me to do what needed to be done.

Which, was to get everyone to keep walking until nightfall, when we all stopped to crash for the night.

"Is there anymore water?" Toph asked me.

"This is the last of it." I replied. "Everyone can have a little drink." _I_ hadn't had a drink yet, but I knew that everyone else's needs were greater than mine right now. Besides, this really _was_ the last of it.

I bended out the remaining orb of water, which Momo immediately pounced on. It splattered out onto the sand below.

Sokka panicked, and scrambled towards the now damp sand.

"Momo, _no_!" He shouted. "You've killed us all!"

I sighed. "No, he hasn't." I bended the water back up, much to Sokka's relief. As I handed the flask back to Toph, I asked Sokka: "Let me see the things you got from the library."

Sokka reeled back, clutching his bag full of scroll. "_What_? !" He cried. "I didn't steal anything! Who told you that?" He pointed accusingly at Momo. "_It was YOU_! You ratted me out!" Momo just blinked up at him.

I took the bag. "Sokka, I was there." I reminded him. I hadn't actually thought he'd go ahead with bringing Emma back a souvenir but, well, there we were…too bad Emma _wasn't_…

As if he was reading my mind, Aang said, dully: "It doesn't matter. Emma's not here to see them…they won't tell us where Appa is, anyway…"

I pulled out a particular map and unrolled it. It was a star map. It would help us find our way to Ba-Sing-Se. I told everyone so, and then suggested that we get some rest…

I looked up at the stars. _Sleep safe…_

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

My Uncle and I sat at a table in a bar that we had come to after days of traveling.

"No one here is going to help us." I told my Uncle. "These people just look like filthy wanderers."

"So do we." Uncle Iroh stated. He pointed across the bar. "Ah, this is interesting. I think I've found our friend." He led me across the bar to an old, bald man who sat at a Pai Sho table.

"You brought us here to gamble on Pai Sho?"I asked incredulously.

"I don't think this is a gamble." My Uncle replied mysteriously. He approached the man. "May I have this game?" He asked politely.

"The guest always has the first move." The other player replied.

My Uncle placed his favourite lotus tile in the middle of the board.

I didn't understand, not even when he and the man had placed the tiles down in rapid succession, to form the shape of a lotus.

When I inquired as to what was going on, my Uncle said that he'd always tried to tell me that Pai Sho _wasn't_ just a game.

I sighed in frustration, and took out Emma's fan, using it to cool myself down. I noticed the Pai Sho player looking at me and, when I glanced back at him, he moved his wrist ever so slightly.

A red ribbon was tied to it.

It was a moment that seemed to go in slow-motion for me, as I recognized the ribbon, and it was almost like I could _sense_ that Emma had been here…just recently…she was nearby, and yet…

A voice suddenly said: "I'm not waiting all night for these two geezers to finish yapping! It's over! You two fugitives are coming with me!"

This was it! We'd been discovered! And, to make matters worse, the Pai Sho player with Emma's ribbon suddenly turned on us!

"I knew it!" He exclaimed loudly, jumping up and pointing to us. "You two are wanted criminals with a giant bounty on your heads!"

"I thought you said he would help!" I hissed to my Uncle, who assured me that he _was_ helping us.

I should've known better than to doubt my Uncle's better judgement. The Pai Sho player started a bar fight, that gave the three of us enough cover to escape…

_O~O~O~O_

We followed the Pai Sho player to an old building, and I kept on trying to ask him about Emma's ribbon, but he refused to answer me.

Inside, however, he turned to my Uncle and said: "It is an honor to welcome such a high-ranking member of the Order of the White Lotus. Being a Grand Master, you must know so many secrets."

_Huh?_

My Uncle waited patiently, and I waited not-so patiently, whilst the Pai Sho player knocked on a door at the back of the building, and a small window in the middle slid open.

"Who knocks at the guarded gate?" Asked the man peeking through.

"One who has eaten the fruit and tasted its mysteries." My Uncle replied evenly.

The door opened, allowing entry to my Uncle and the Pai Sho player, but not to me!

Apparently, it was "members only", and I was going to have to wait outside.

I frowned, and folded my arms.

Just then, an arrow hit the wall on the right side of my head, and another one hit the left side before I could move.

"Know where the _next_ one's going, Zuko?" Asked an unfamiliar voice.

I peered through the darkness, trying to see my attacker, but her face was shrouded in shadows…also, she was really short.

I shifted slightly, although froze when I saw the gleam of a silver arrow. "Hold on, how did you recognize me?" I asked her.

"The scar," The girl replied, motioning to it with her weapon. "Emma once told me it was your defining beauty scar." She laughed hollowly. "Although, I never thought I'd get to see it for myself because, the way _I_ heard it, you were _dead_ – mind telling me how you're still alive, Mister?" The silver arrow seemed to glow red-hot in the darkness.

I gulped. "Umm…do I…_know_ you?"

_O~O~O~O_

**Aang's P.O.V:**

I realized that I had been reading the same paragraph for some time now, but I didn't care. I was just reading one of Emma's books to pass the time. To try to stop thinking about Appa, at least for one moment. I thought my heart was going to explode, it felt like my entire body was a ticking time-bomb, waiting to burst into flame. Either that, or I'd turn into a block of ice and shatter.

Like my mind seemed to have gone numb, also…

I sighed, and flicked to a random page in the book. A paragraph circled in ink caught my eye, and I read it without really knowing what I was doing.

The priestess came to the world in times of trouble, wrapped up in pink light. As I read, something started ticking in my brain. A spirit medium, able to communicate with and see the dead, she was a shrine-maiden from another world…

My heart seemed to pound just then, as some of the feeling came back into my body and I read on.

Skilled at martial arts, and gifted with supernatural powers, she was a virgin who carried with her a great and immense power that she had to learn to wield to help others…

My mind was a blur now, as I set down the book in stunned silence.

Good at martial arts?

Pink light?

Spirit medium?

Supernatural powers?

From another world?

I stood up shakily but, instead of telling the others what I knew, I just focused on finding the Sand Benders. I knew that when we found them, we'd find Appa…and Emma…

_O~O~O~O_

We found one of the boats – a Sind Glider – used by the Sandbenders, and commandeered it to move a lot more quickly across the desert, until we reached a strange rock formation.

Toph was pretty happy to be back on solid ground again, until we figured out that we were actually inside of a giant buzzard-wasp's nest!

Needless to say, we all ran for the exit. Toph and I both screamed as the buzzard-wasps flew over our heads, and began to attack us…I swung my staff down and blew one back with a gut of air, just as one landed near Toph and she sensed it, bending a pillar of rock up from underneath of it and sending it flying.

Katara, however, was unable to help, because she'd given us all of her water. I moved to her side to help her, just as a buzzard-wasp swooped down behind us and picked up…Momo! It carried him off into the rising sun…

"Momo!" I shouted, opening my glider and taking off after the buzzard-wasp. "I'm not losing anyone else out here!" My insides didn't burn with rage – they were ice cold, like stone.

I chased the buzzard-wasp across to sand, easily catching up and flying underneath of it. I rolled over and bended a gust of air by using a strong kick, and the buzzard-wasp let go of Momo.

It tried to get away though and, for a split second, I wanted nothing more than to make it suffer, to make it pay, to make it _hurt_ for trying to steal another one of my friends away from me and then trying to run.

Just then, however, Yang-Chong came out of nowhere, flying straight into me and nearly tackling me to the ground. I rolled over onto the sand, and the bedraggled phoenix landed on top of me, looking into my eyes with his own, vivid blue ones.

In that instant, I realized that there was somebody _else_ who was hurting just as _much_ as I was. Yang-Chong had also lost somebody, but he wasn't going to go around killing just because he was angry or upset.

I let the buzzard-wasp go…

"I know, Yang-Chong," I said quietly, as he finally allowed me to get up. "You're right." Together he, Momo and I made our way back to the others, who were still struggling with the other buzzard-wasps.

Just then, gigantic pillars of sand burst up from the ground, scaring off the swarm. They all retreated to their hives, and I took to the air quickly, because my friends were now confronted by…the Sandbenders!

At once, my cool anger turned red-hot, almost _white_ with rage, as I flew in between them to face the Sandbenders…

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

"Who _are_ you?" I asked the girl, as she finally stepped partially into the light and lowered her bow and arrow. She'd kept me here for a long time…I think I may have fallen asleep standing up…

I thought at first that she must be a young girl – she was about a foot or two shorter than me, with messy black hair and…her eyes…they were Fire Nation red. No, this was definitely _not_ a child…was she…?

I was immediately defensive – had she been sent to capture me? No…wait…she'd mentioned Emma, so…somehow…

The girl, whoever she was, walked even closer tome, and I could now make out the tired look on her face, and the gauntness under her eyes. Whoever she was, she'd been traveling for quite some time, but she hadn't lost her spirit. Those arrows had been _way_ too close for comfort…

The door behind me suddenly opened, startling me into a defensive stance, but it was just my Uncle who walked out, followed by the Pai Sho player from before.

"What's going on?" I asked them. "Is the club meeting over?"

"Everything is taken care of." My Uncle informed me. "We're heading to Ba-Sing-Se."

"Ba-Sing-Se…" I repeated, surprised. "Why would we go to theEarthKingdomcapital?"

"The city is filled with refugees." The Pai Sho player informed us. "No one will notice three more."

"We can hide in plain sight there." My Uncle added. "And, it's the safest place in the world from the Fire Nation. Even _I_ couldn't break through to the city."

"Wait," I aid, realizing something. "You said three…does that mean that…?" I turned back to the girl standing there behind me. "Who _are_ you?" I asked her again.

"My name is Karai, but just call me Kai." She replied, holding her left hand across her middle. "You knew my Uncle, Lieutenant Jee. Just before the siege of the North Pole Water Tribe, my Uncle and a few others and I defected from Admiral Zhao's ship, but we were separated after the Fire Nation started hunting us down for our betrayal. I don't know what happened to the others, but _I've_ been on the run ever since." She said, a little bit sadly. Her eyes remained focused, however.

I nodded slightly. I knew how that felt.

Uncle Iroh stepped around me and placed a hand on Kai's shoulder. "Miss. Karai was a friend of Emma's, Zuko." My eyes widened. "They met whilst on board the same ship…"

I turned back to the Pai Sho player, who was watching us carefully. "That red ribbon you have around your wrist…where did you get it from?"

The man slowly untied the ribbon and handed it to me. I took it from him, letting the red satin of the ribbon slide across my hand, and between my fingers.

"The day before yesterday, a young woman came into the bar," The Pai Sho player said. "She had brown hair and golden eyes, and she spoke words across the Pai Sho table known only to higher-ranking members of the White Lotus in such a context. When I asked her who she was, she told me that she had previously been traveling in the company of one whom clung to the old ways, and that she knew I was a friend. She asked me to pass along this ribbon to the man with the scar, as well as these words…_Zuko, please, my love, listen to me. Everything I've done, I've done to protect you. Remember this Zuko. No matter how things may seem to change, never forget who you are._"

I was frozen to the spot by this stage, still trying to process the words I had just heard. Emma had said this…it sounded like _exactly_ the kind of thing that she would say…I knew these words from long ago, as well. It was almost as if they were both in the room now, saying these words to me…

As I bowed my head, almost subconsciously, a voice said from behind me: "I have the passports for our guests – but, there are two men out on the street looking for them…_all_ of them…"

We all looked out the window, to see the two guys from the bar holding up a wanted poster with my Uncle and I on it, as well as a second poster that looked new. It had Kai's picture on it.

Kai cringed. "I knew it was only a matter of time before the Fire Nation started putting up posters…" She stepped back. "I don't really care what happens to me, but I _have_ to get to Ba-Sing-Se…for the sake of my unborn child…"

I turned around and stared at her, and saw finally her rounded belly. I blinked in surprise…

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

We faced the Sandbenders, who looked back at us.

A bald man with a beard stepped forward. "What are you doing in our land with a Sandbender sailer? From the looks of it, you stole it from the Hami Tribe." He accused.

I tried to reason with him. "We found the sailer abandoned in the desert. We're traveling with the Avatar." It never hurts to add that part in. "Our bison was stolen, and one of our friends is missing, and we have to get to Ba-Sing-Se." I finished up, without pointing any fingers of blame.

A young Sandbender stepped up next to the leader, raised his voice and, with clenched fists, replied: "You _dare_ accuse our people of theft while you ride in on a stolen sand sailer? !" I could tell that, despite all of their strangeness, the Sandbenders were proud people, protective of their culture.

Behind me, Toph shifted her feet slightly in the sand.

"Quiet, Gashuin." The leader told him. "No one accused our people of anything. If what they say is true, we must give them hospitality." Yup, I was right. They were strange, but proud. Their leader seemed ready to help us, maybe they would even get us out of the desert!

"Sorry, Father." The one called Gashuin said, contritely.

From behind me, however, Toph spoke quietly. "I recognize the son's voice." She said, and my heart started to pound in anticipation. "_He's_ the one who kidnapped Emma and Appa…"

"Are you sure?" I whispered back, apprehensive.

"I never forget a voice." Toph stated flatly.

Aang walked forwards now, brandishing his staff threateningly. "_You_ stole Appa!" He said angrily. "Where is he? ! Where is Emma? ! What did you do to them? !"

"They're lying!" Gashuin protested. "_They're_ the thieves!"

In his anger, Aang swung his staff down and demolished one of the sand sailers with a blast of air. "_Where are my friends_? !"

_O~O~O~O_

**Karai's P.O.V:**

"This is so stupid," I hissed into the darkness. "Why do I have to share a flower pot with _you_?"

"Keep _quiet_!" Zuko hissed back, as we fidgeted uncomfortably in the flower pot we were hiding in, in order to escape the city undetected. "Do you want those two bounty hunters out there to hear us?"

"Hmm, jeez, I wonder who they'd _go_ for?" I mused. "A pregnant Fire Nation cook, or the banished prince and his traitor Uncle…no offense, General Iroh." I added, as an after-thought.

"None taken." He replied quietly from the other flower pot. "You two should keep your arguments to at least a dull roar, though."

"I'll keep that in mind, Uncle." I envisioned Zuko glaring at me in the darkness.

"I feel sick." I said suddenly. One of the burdens of being pregnant, I guess…

"I hate you." Was Zuko's reply…

_O~O~O~O_

**Sokka's P.O.V:**

My head was now almost completely cleared up from my run-in with the cactus-juice earlier on, so I could completely comprehend what was happening now. Aang was upset. He'd just lost Appa to spirits know where. Appa had been frozen with him in that block of ice for one hundred years- he was Aang's _last link_ to what life had been like for them both back then. So, all of his behaviour was completely understandable.

Terrifying, but understandable.

"_You tell me where he is now_!" Aang demanded, as he destroyed another sand sailer.

The Sandbender leader said to his son, Gashuin, in desperation: "What did you _do_? !"

In just as much desperation, Gashuin replied: "I-it wasn't me!"

Toph, however, knew better. "You said to put a muzzle on him!" She shouted. Oh, but she _really_ shouldn't have said that…

"_You muzzled Appa_?" Aang shouted, enraged.

Toph nodded. "He also said that Emma would end up in a harem!" She added.

"_WHAT_? !" Aang was _beyond_ angry now.

"I'm sorry!" Gashuin was frightened now by Aang's transition into theAvatarState. "I didn't know that they were with the Avatar!"

"_Tell me where they are_!" Aang was crossing over by this point. There was no turning back for him now.

"I traded them both!" Gashuin said. "To some merchants! They're probably both in Ba-Sing-Se by now! They were going to be sold there! Please! We'll escort you out of the desert! We'll help however we can!"

"_It's too late for that now_!" Aang threatened them. "_Do you realize what you've just DONE_? ! _YOU'VE SOLD A SPIRITUAL PRIESTESS TO A HAREM_! !" I realized the danger now. Aang was beyond reasoning with now. As he went into theAvatarState, I knew that he would kill us all if we didn't leave now. I grabbed Toph's hand and ran with her.

My sister, however, stayed behind, braving the swirling sand and dangerous vortex, in an attempt to reach Aang.

She grabbed his wrist. He looked down at her with anger and hatred, but was met with only her sad expression, one that could probably stop an entire nation from fighting. She pulled him back down to earth and hugged him, not letting go despite the swirling sands which presently began to die down.

As Toph and I hesitantly approached them, Aang's tattoos stopped glowing, and tears streamed down his face as he rested his head on Katara's shoulder.

I glanced at Toph, who was cradling Yang-Chong in her arms.

"He feels really warm…" She whispered, and set him down on the ground where he just lay there. "I think he's about to…"

I let out a yelp, as Yang-Chong suddenly burst into flames.

Katara and Aang looked over, startled. The fire surrounding Yang-Chong blazed hotter and brighter than I'd ever seen fire blaze before, and the golden glow reflected off the tears on Aang's face. Yang-Chong shrieked one final time until, at last, the flames vanished, leaving only a pile of ash behind.

Katara, Aang, Momo and I just stared at it for a moment, before Toph stooped down and began sifting through the ash and, at last, her hands emerged cradling gently a tiny red bird.

"Emma said that phoenixes burst into flame and then are reborn from ashes." Toph said quietly, staring unseeingly at the tiny creature in her hands. "Gashuin wanted to capture Yang-Chong, too, which is why Emma sent him down into the library to get you guys. She couldn't hold them off, because of her arm. She wasn't strong enough, and she knew it. She…she yelled at me to take care of Yang-Chong for her. She said that she wasn't leaving Appa…" A single tear slid down her face and, awkwardly, I gave her a brief hug. "I'm sorry, Aang…" The Earthbender called to Aang, her voice muffled against my shoulder. "I wish that there was more that I could've done…to save them…"

When I let her go, Aang and Katara were there.

"I know, Toph." Aang said quietly. "I'm sorry too…but, because of you, we can now work together to get them both back…I promise you guys…we'll find them…"


	33. Journey To The Centre Of Earth Kingdom

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Journey To The Centre Of The Earth Kingdom

_As Toph and I hesitantly approached them, Aang's tattoos stopped glowing, and tears streamed down his face as he rested his head on Katara's shoulder._

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

"So, did you figure out what route we're gonna take?" Aang asked Sokka, as we all crowded around the map.

My brother began pointing out features on the map. "Okay." He said. "We just got out of the desert, so we must be around here, and we need to go to Ba Sing Se, which is here." He moved his finger along the map. "It looks like the only passage connecting the South to the North is this sliver of land called the Serpent's Pass." He nodded decisively.

"You're _sure_ that's the best way to go?" Toph asked doubtfully. She held a pair of chopsticks in her hand, which sported a number of bandages on her fingers. She cautiously moved the chopsticks, which held a small glowing coal, carefully towards the newborn phoenix. Yang-Chong eyed her suspiciously.

"Umm, Toph, do you want _me_ to do that?" I asked her quickly, for the fifth time.

"_Why_? Because you think I can't feed a newborn by myself? !" She retorted, just as Yang-Chong made a snap for her fingers. She let out a yelp, and dropped the chopsticks. Yang-Chong squawked impatiently. Toph sighed. "Okay, Katara, maybe you'd better do it…" She resigned, stepping back…

As I picked up the chopsticks, Sokka muttered: "_How_ did Emma _do_ this?"

I glared at him over Yang-Chong. "_Shut up_…" I hissed, glancing meaningfully at Aang, who was listening.

Sokka glanced at Aang. "O-h, right…" He glanced back down at the map. "Anyway, what was I saying…? Right! The Serpent's Pass…well, it happens to be the only way to go. I mean, it's not like we have Appa to fly us there."

I gave him a look of disbelief, pausing in my attempts to feed Yang-Chong, who was staring fixedly at the coal. "_Shut up_!" I hissed again. "Can't you at least _try_ to be sensitive?" We both glanced at Aang.

Aang, to my surprise, spoke calmly. "Katara, it's okay." He told me. "I know I was upset about losing them before, but I just want to focus on getting to Ba Sing Se and telling the Earth King about the solar eclipse…"

I tried to hide my surprise. "Oh…well…okay. I'm glad you're doing better – OUCH!" I cried, dropping the chopsticks because Yang-Chong had just bitten me.

"Way to go, beaky." Sokka grinned at the phoenix, as I sucked on my bleeding fingers. "See, I _told_ ya he'd be handy to have along. Priceless…I can see why those Sandbenders wanted to capture him, too…" He mused.

I couldn't speak, because of my situation, but I glared at Sokka over my hands.

Toph decided to help me out. "_Shut up_!" She snapped at Sokka, elbowing him hard.

"Ow!" He complained, holding his right shoulder. "I'm sensitive to _pain_! Anyway," He rolled up the map. "To Ba Sing Se we go! No more distractions!"

As if on cue, an unfamiliar but friendly voice called out to us: "Hello there fellow refugees!"

Sokka facepalmed.

Three travelers came over to us. One was a young man in his twenties, and he walked very close to a pretty, young, _very_ pregnant woman. A teenage girl with braided pigtails accompanied them.

"So," Aang said, friendly. "Are you guys headed to Ba Sing Se, too?"

The man nodded. "Sure are. We're trying to get there before my wife, Ying, has her baby." He rubbed her very rounded belly affectionately. "My name's Than, and this is my sister-in-law, Ting-Ting." The teenage girl smiled at us all.

I smiled back. "Great." I said. "We can travel through the Serpent's Pass together."

The three strangers looked horrified.

"The Serpent's Pass? !" Ying gasped. "Only the truly desperate take that deadly route!"

"Deadly route." Toph repeated. "Great pick, Sokka." She elbowed him again.

"Well, we are desperate." Sokka replied, now looking pained.

"You should come with us to Full Moon Bay." Than said. "Ferries take refugees across the lake. It's the fastest way to Ba Sing Se."

"And, it's hidden," Ying added. "So the Fire Nation can't find it."

"Hmmm…" I pretended to consider this, whilst giving my brother a Look. "Peaceful ferry ride…or deadly pass?"

_O~O~O~O_

When we got to the docks, I really couldn't believe how many people's lives had been changed and uprooted by the Fire Nation. Well, of course I could believe it, but it was still a shock to see all those people in need of new homes. Of new lives…_better_ ones…

"We're all looking for a better life." Than voiced my thoughts. "Safe, behind the walls of Ba Sing Se."

_O~O~O~O_

**Karai's P.O.V:**

General Iroh (aka, Uncle Mushi) was solemn. He stared out at the sea as the ferry set sail across the large lake. "Who would have thought, after all these years, I'd return to the scene of my greatest military defeat…" He suddenly whipped out a flowered straw hat and put it on his head, changing his tone to match his big grin. "As a tourist!"

Prince Zuko – now officially known as either Lee or Junior – rolled his eyes. "Look around, we're not tourists, we're refugees." He took a sip of gruel from a wooden bowl. "Ugh!" He spat out his mouthful over the railing. "I'm sick of eating rotten food, sleeping in the dirt…I'm _tired_ of living like this!"

"Yeah?" I looked up at him. I was sitting on the deck with my back to the railing, my knees drawn up and a hand on my forehead. "Well, _I'm_ just plain old _sea-sick_, so stop complaining, _Junior_…man, what I wouldn't _give_ for some grilled cave-hopper around about now…" I'd been craving that for awhile now…it wasn't fair that they only lived back home!

Home…huh…but…home didn't _want_ me anymore…the world really _was_ pretty messed up at the moment…

Just then, an unfamiliar voice said: "I dunno about cave-hoppers, but I'm pretty sure we're _all_ sick of _this_. My name's Jet, and these are my freedom fighters, Smellerbee and Longshot."

A teenage boy stepped out from the darkness, accompanied by a taller boy and a tomboyish girl. How did I know she was a girl? Call it instinct…

"Hey." She said, by way of greeting. The taller boy simply nodded.

Zuko didn't look at them, but he replied: "Hello."

"Hi." I glanced at them from between my fingers. Hmm…they lookedEarthKingdom. Oh man, if they found out that we were Fire Nation…

The one named Jet stepped closer (Jet? I think that was a nickname…). "Here's the deal." He said, earnestly. "I hear the captain's eating like a king, while us refugees have to feed off his scraps. Doesn't seem fair, does it?"

"_What_? !" I managed to shriek quietly, my ruby eyes blazing like fire (which I hoped they didn't notice).

"What sort of 'king' is he eating like?" Iroh wanted to know.

"The fat, happy kind." Jet replied, and Iroh gaped, looking suddenly famished. "You want to help us 'liberate' some food?" He asked us.

I smiled. I decided I liked this kid. He reminded me of me, when I was his age.

Zuko suddenly hurled his wooden bowl out into the water. "I'm in." He nodded curtly.

I stood up. "Me too…" Jet glanced at me, and then at my stomach. "What?" I put my hands on my hips. "You think just because I'm like this I can't help you guys out?" I eyed them all, annoyed.

"No, not at all," Jet smiled, although I saw his gaze drift from me Zuko and back again, and I was furious at what he must be assuming. From the look on Zuko's face, I was sure that he knew as well. "In fact, I know _just_ how you can help with this, uh…?"

"Kiki." Zuko said quickly. "Short for…Kikyo…"

I glared at him. Stupid fake passport names…

_O~O~O~O_

**Suki's P.O.V:**

I sighed, and looked out across the group of refugees that were gathered at the docks. I couldn't believe how many people needed refuge, after the Fire Nation's war. It made me feel even more strongly about my cause, which I shared with the other Kyoshi Warriors. After meeting Aang, the Avatar, we'd been inspired to do more, to _help_ people. We could do it, and we were. That was how we had found ourselves here, helping refugees get across the bay safely. The only downside to that was the grumpy official; she made us wear these uniforms and yelled at everyone.

In fact, she was yelling at somebody _right now_…but, then, I heard a young girl say: "I'll take care of this. My name is Toph Bei Fong, and I'll need four tickets."

My boss sounded awed when she replied: "Oh! The Golden Seal of the Flying Boar! It is my pleasure to help anyone of the Bei Fong family!"

I smirked slightly. My boss was a sucker for things like that. That little girl could probably ask for a private ship, and she'd get it.

I heard her speaking arrogantly to the official, and then heard her add: "As you can see, I am blind, and these three imbeciles are my valets."

_Three imbeciles?_

My boss sounded hesitant as she said: "But the animal…?"

"Is my Seeing-Eye Lemur." The little girl cut her off.

_A lemur?_ I thought, just as Lillian came running up to me.

"Suki!" She exclaimed, excitedly. "It's the Avatar! His Water Tribe friends are with him!"

My heart thudded painfully in my chest. Sokka! I hadn't expected to see him again so soon, and not _here_ of all places, but…I'd _wanted_ to see him again, _so_ badly. I stood there for a moment, and then thanked Lillian before turning around and walking swiftly over to the group of people. I recognized Sokka, Aang and Katara straight away, and I recognized Momo…but, not the girl whose shoulder he was riding on.

"Alright, we scammed that lady good!" Sokka was cheering.

I marched forwards and grabbed Sokka's shoulder, turning him around to face me.

"Tickets and passports, please." I said firmly, holding out my hand.

Sokka was intimidated. "Is there a problem?" He asked meekly.

I looked at him menacingly. "Yeah, I've got a problem with you." I caught sight of Lillian and Li-Ting grinning at me from across the crowd, and only just managed to keep a straight face. I poked Sokka's chest. "I've seen your type before. Probably sarcastic, think you're hilarious and, let me guess, you're traveling with the Avatar."

I could tell that Sokka still didn't recognize me, especially when he asked me, eyes narrowed: "Do I know you?"

I looked at him. "You mean you don't remember?" I grabbed his collar and yanked him close." Maybe you remember _this_?" I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

_That_ jogged Sokka's memory and, as my fellow Kyoshi Warriors cheered silently, Sokka exclaimed: "Suki!" And hugged me. I hugged him back, feeling suddenly elated…

"Sokka, it's good to see you!" I told him, smiling into his shoulder…

_O~O~O~O_

The reunion was continued outside. I was introduced to their new friend, Toph. She seemed sure of herself and tough, but also friendly.

"You look so different without your makeup," Katara remarked. "The new outfit."

"That crabby lady makes all the security guards wear them." I responded, smiling. I looked at Sokka appraisingly. "And look at you, sleeveless guy. Been working out?"

"I'll grab a tree branch and do a few chin ups every now and then, nothing major." Sokka said casually, flexing his biceps.

"Are the other Kyoshi Warriors around?" Aang wanted to know.

I nodded. "Yeah. After you left Kyoshi, we wanted to find a way to help people. We ended up escorting some refugees, and we've been here ever since." Momo suddenly jumped next to me. "Hi Momo, good to see you." I scratched his ear, and just then a thought occurred to me. "So, why are you guys getting tickets for the ferry? Wouldn't you just fly across on Appa?"

Aang, Katara, Sokka and Toph suddenly looked down, and Toph busied herself in smoothing down the wrinkled skin of a little red bird.

Katara said, sadly: "Appa is missing. We hope to find him in Ba Sing Se." She glanced at Aang.

I did too. "I'm so sorry to hear that. Are you doing okay?"

As everyone else looked at Aang, he got annoyed. "I'm doing fine. Would everybody stop worrying about me? !"

I exchanged a glance with Katara. We were both worried about Aang now.

Just then, a voice called: "Avatar Aang!" A pregnant woman who sounded close to tears stood on the platform below us, along with a young man and a teenage girl. "You have to help us! Someone took all of our belongings! Our passports, our tickets! Everything's gone!" She began to sob, and the man comforted her.

I felt terrible for them. Aang said he'd talk to my boss for them, but I knew that he wouldn't be able to persuade her to let them through. She'd had enough of pregnant women, after that short pregnant girl named Kikyo had caused a scene only a half hour ago. Her Uncle had had to drag her away from our now very bruised platypus-bear…

And, so, that was how Aang agreed to lead the refugees safely through the Serpent's Pass…

_O~O~O~O_

I walked through the crowd of refugees, dressed in my full Kyoshi Warrior garb, including makeup. I had the advice of my fellow Kyoshi Warriors in the back of my mind.

"Make sure you tell Sokka how you feel." Lillian had said.

"But, _don't_ let him revert back to his old ways!" Li-Ting had added.

"If he does, you have to remind him that you're a Kyoshi Warrior." Pai-Li had stated firmly.

"Duh," Baoxai had rolled her eyes. "_That's_ why she's going in _our_ uniform…"

I'd thanked them, hugged them, and told them not to let our boss get to them, before hurrying to catch up with Sokka and the others.

I could hear him quite clearly, complaining as _usual_. "I can't _believe_ we gave up our tickets, and now we're going through the Serpent's Pass!"

"I can't believe you're still complaining about it." Toph replied.

I called out to them: "I'm coming too!"

Sokka turned around when I reached him and, to my surprise, he said: "Are you sure that's a good idea?" He sounded worried.

"Sokka, I thought you'd _want_ me to come!" I exclaimed, in surprise.

"I do," He replied, but he sounded unsure. "It's just…"

"Just _what_?" I snapped.

"Nothing. I'm glad you're coming." He sighed, and I stalked past him to catch up with the others. I heard him hesitate, and then follow.

What was his problem, anyway?

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

The Serpent's Pass was a narrow sliver of land that extended out across Full Moon Lake. The entrance to the pass was a large wooden archway, and the pass rose straight and steep beyond it.

"This is the Serpent's Pass?" Sokka asked from behind is. "I thought it would be more windy, you know, like a serpent?"

"It's probably just a name." Suki replied.

Ying approached the gatepost, and noticed the writing on it. "Look at this writing…how awful…" She shuddered.

"What does it say?" Toph wanted to know.

I stepped forward and read: "It says: Abandon Hope."

Ying was miserable. "How could we abandon hope? It's all we have." She buried her face in her husband's chest.

Aang spoke up. "I don't know. The monks used to say that hope is just a distraction. So maybe we _do_ need to abandon it…"

"What are you _talking_ about?" I asked him, surprised.

"Hope isn't going to get us to Ba Sing Se, and it's not gonna find Appa and Emma." Aang replied.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Suki freeze.

"We need to focus on what we're doing right now, and that's getting across this pass." He stepped through the gate.

"Okay." I sighed. I was really worried about him. "If you say so…" We all followed Aang through the gateway, and began our long journey of the Serpent's Pass…

_O~O~O~O_  
>We'd been traveling for about an hour, when we saw our first Fire Nation warship.<p>

As we nervously watched it cruise by, Suki explained: "The Fire Nation controls the western lake. Rumor has it they're working on something big on the other side, and they don't want anyone to find out what it is."

Just then, the rocky ground gave way underneath of Than whom, luckily, was saved by a quick Earthbending move from Toph. Than was flipped back to the path and into his family's arms.

"I'm okay!" He called.

Unfortunately, the piece of pathway had landed with a splash in the lake, alerting the Fire Nation ship that we were here. They launched a fireball at us.

"They've spotted us!" Sokka shouted. "Let's go, let's go!"

Aang launched himself off from the cliff face, intercepting the fireball in mid-air. He sent it arcing back with a sweep of his staff, to hit one of the warship's smokestacks.

In retaliation, they sent another fireball at us, that hit the cliff side above us.

Sokka shoved Suki aside to save her, but couldn't do much for himself. Toph, however, turned and bended out an awning of stone over him to divert the rocks away from Sokka.

Once my brother realized that he was safe, he rushed forwards to gather up Suki. "Suki, are you okay?" He asked her. "You have to be more careful!" He led her away, past Toph. "Come on!"

"Thanks for saving my life, Toph." I heard her mutter. "Hey, no problem, Sokka!"

She hurried to catch up with us, with Yang-Chong tucked safely into the front of her robes.

_Hmm_… I thought.

_O~O~O~O_

That evening, everyone was preparing to turn in for the night. It had been a long day, and we were all exhausted. I smiled when I saw Than massaging Ying's feet. My smile faded, however, when I noticed something going on between my brother and Suki.

"Suki, you shouldn't sleep there!" Sokka protested, walking up and snatching away the bedroll she had just laid out. "Who knows how stable this ledge is? It could give way at any moment!"

As far as I was concerned, Suki's bedroll hadn't been any closer to the ledge than Toph's and, apparently, Suki saw this the same way. "Sokka, I'm fine." She said. "Stop worrying!"

"You're right, you're right…" Sokka said contritely, laying out her bedroll near his. "You're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself…WAIT!" He abruptly leapt between her and the bedroll. "Oh, never mind. I thought I saw a spider, but you're fine." He patted her shoulder reassuringly, completely missing her look of mortification.

I sighed. I think I knew what Sokka's problem was. I knew what his feelings towards Suki were – but, the last girl he'd felt that way for had ended up sacrificing herself to save the world. Sokka was just afraid of losing somebody again. Suki was perfectly capable of taking care of herself but, then again, he'd said the same thing about Emma, and now she was captured. Sokka was just afraid of the same sort of thing happening to Suki. I could also tell that it was annoying Toph, but for a different reason.

I was worried about them, and Aang, _and_ the travelers (especially Ying). All of this worrying was _not_ gonna do me any good…

If Emma were here, she'd be telling me that it was fine, that it would all work out – and, she would _know_…

_O~O~O~O_

**Karai's P.O.V:**

I heard a low bird-call, and smiled. That was my signal.

Stepping out of the shadows, I saw the three guards who were on patrol standing by the doorway.

I walked forward and, when they looked up at my approach, I hunched over in pain. "_Ow, ohhh, owww…_" I groaned, staggering a few steps and clutching onto the ship's rail for support.

The guards traded concerned looks, and approached me, abandoning their posts.

"Are you alright, Miss?" One of them asked me.

Behind him, I saw three figures sneak stealthily through the darkness.

Turning my attention back to the guards, I arranged my face into a look of pain and suffering, and said: "The pain…I can't…_ohhh_…" I grabbed onto the arm of one guard and, using my internal Firebending, made my body temperature sky-rocket.

"She's burning up!" One of the guards said, in alarm. "She needs water!" He turned to go.

"No!" I grabbed onto his arm as well. "Don't leave me, please…" I whimpered. I managed to scrounge up a few tears from my ruby eyes. It was difficult – I don't often cry. "Not like…everyone else…my entire family…" I sniffled, burying my face in the shoulder of one of the guards who had stooped down beside me. "Once they found out that…that I was pregnant…they _abandoned_ me…they just _left_ me out in the wilderness, all by myself…I don't know what I would have done if Lee and Uncle Mushi hadn't found me…" I made my shoulders shake with fake sobs. "It's just been…so _difficult_! I can't tell you what it means…for me to be starting a new life with them…in Ba Sing Se…where…where my baby can be safe!" I clutched at the arm of one of the guards. "Where we can be _protected_…by the _strength_ of Ba Sing Se…and by its _big_, _strong_ men…" I had to fight back a shudder at saying these words. I didn't know how much longer I could keep up this act for…. "Lee's not very strong…I'm worried he won't be able to protect me if I get into trouble…"

"Don't worry." One of the guards patted my shoulder sympathetically. "Ba Sing Se is the strongest EarthKingdomcity in the world, and the safest place in the _world_ from the Fire Nation. You and your family will be well taken care of, I guarantee it."

I wiped my eyes, and smiled shyly up at him. "R-really? Do you…" I bit my lip. "_Promise_? I've had my life shattered by the Fire Nation before…" _That_ wasn't a lie…

The guards all nodded in unison, just as Zuko appeared from around the corner.

"There you are!" He exclaimed, like he'd been looking for me all over. "Kikyo, are you okay?" He took my arm and gently pulled me to my feet. "Here, lean on me…" He nodded once to the guards, and then led me away.

Once we were out of sight and out of earshot, however, he let me go.

"I heard most of that, you know…" The Prince gave me a Look.

I changed my expression immediately and wiped my eyes again. "Just staying in character, _Junior_." I told him, smirking. "It wasn't easy, either. Saying all that stuff…"

Zuko rolled his eyes. "I know what you mean…" He looked at me suddenly. "Kai, I've been meaning to ask you…" His eyes drifted down to my belly.

I was immediately on guard. I placed my hands across my belly and replied: "About what?"

He looked about as uncomfortable as I felt. "Well, it's just…who's the…?"

"Look," I cut him off, placing a hand up to stop him from talking. I glared up at the prince. "There are some things that happened up North that I will _never_ speak about to _anyone_…" I looked away then, up at the moon glittering above the bay. "Not until I've spoken to _her_, that is …she'll understand…" I sighed.

"Who?" Zuko was confused.

I glanced at him. "I can't say, but…you wear her ribbon upon your wrist." I pointed to it.

Zuko looked down at the red ribbon, and then into my red eyes. He seemed unnerved.

"She cared about you, you know," I told him. Something flashed through his eyes. "And, don't give me that look," I crossed my arms. "She thought she just annoyed you half the time, and got in your way of your search for the Avatar. " I softened my tone. "She didn't say it, but I could tell…she felt something for you, and what she felt was real. Fromone friend to the other, I'm telling you this: I truly believe she loves you still, and I don't use the 'L'word that often…"

"Yeah?" Zuko gave me a cold look." Well, maybe you should quit while you're ahead, Karai." He stormed off. "And, just for the record, we're _not_ friends." He added, over his shoulder.

_What did Emma _see_ in this jerk?_ I wondered, before following him…

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

I found Aang standing on a dark outcropping, overlooking the lake. I walked out to stand a few paces behind him.

"You know," I said softly. "It's okay to miss Appa and Emma. What's going on with you? In the desert, all you cared about was finding them, and now it's like you don't care about either of them at all." I knew that wasn't true, but I _had_ to get to the bottom of this, somehow. I went to stand beside him.

"You saw what I did out there." Aang said quietly. "I was so angry about what had happened, I couldn't control myself. I _hated_ feeling like that."

"But now you're not letting yourself feel anything." I replied. "I know sometimes it hurts more to hope, and it hurts more to care. But you have to promise me that you won't stop caring." Come on, you need a hug." I held out my arms to him.

He looked at me, but didn't accept the show of affection. Instead, he just bowed politely to me. "Thanks for your concern, Katara." He walked away from me.

I watched him go, more worried now than ever…

_O~O~O~O_

**Sokka's P.O.V:**

I stared up at the moon, which was beautiful even though it wasn't full. I wasn't quite sure what I was feeling at the moment, and it was confusing me.

I glanced over at Suki as she approached, and sat down beside me.

"It's a beautiful moon." She said softly.

"Yeah," I agreed. "It really is."

She moved over a little closer to me. "Look, I know you're just trying to help, but I can take care of myself." She stated.

"I know you can." I replied.

"Then why are you acting so overprotective?" She wanted to know. Her voice was firm, but her eyes were full of softness. She just wanted to understand. I guess I owed her an explanation…

I sighed. "It's so hard to lose someone you care about." I couldn't look at her. "Something happened at the North Pole, and I couldn't protect someone. And, just recently, something similar happened. Someone was captured, and I wasn't there to help them. I don't want anything like that to ever happen again."

Suki sounded thoughtful as she replied: "I lost two people I cared about. Students of mine, actually. They didn't die, they just went away. I only had a few days to get to know them each, but I remember one in particular. He was smart, and brave, and funny." She smiled.

I gulped, and stood up. "Who? Is this guy taller than me?" I was indignant. Suki liked some other guy better than me? !

"No," She replied. "He's about your height."

"Is he better looking?" I wanted to know.

"It _is_ you, stupid!" She said, with a small laugh, coming to stand in front of me.

"Oh…" The indignation in me died away instantly, to be replaced by wistfulness.

Almost subconsciously, we both closed our eyes and leaned towards each other. However, I could still see the moonlight from beneath my eyelids, and it stirred up painful memories for me. I couldn't do this, and I told Suki so. When she apologized, I told her that she shouldn't be sorry, and left her beneath the archway.

_O~O~O~O_

**Suki's P.O.V:**

"Suki?" A soft voice called to me from the shadows, and I turned to see Katara walking towards me, looking sympathetic. "Are you okay?"

_I think she saw that…_ I realized, and gulped. "Y-yeah, I'm okay, Katara…"

She came and sat down next to me on the stone archway. "You'll have to forgive me brother," She explained. "When we visited Kyoshi recently, he was disappointed that you weren't there. He wanted to see you again."

"I know," I sighed. "It just doesn't _seem_ that way. What happened to him, Katara? He said something about not being able to protect people, but…?"

Katara glanced up at the moon, and then looked back at me. "I'm not sure how much I should tell you. It's _Sokka's_ story to tell, not mine…two people we cared about were taken from us…" She seemed hesitant and, for a brief second, I wondered if Sokka had _liked_ one of these people…_nah_…

"I told him how I'd lost two of my students," I said to Katara. "One being him, of course. The other one was a mysterious girl, who ended up being captured by the Fire Nation…I didn't tell him _that_ part, though. Her name was Emma…"

Katara's blue eyes lit up. "Emma!" She exclaimed softly. "Oh my gosh, Suki, I can't believe we forgot! We know her, too!"

I gasped softly. "You do? Does that mean that she escaped?"

Katara nodded. "She was traveling around with us…although, we actually met her _before_ that. She mentioned something about you, and trained with us for a day. She was a good warrior, and an even better friend." Her eyes looked sad all of a sudden.

"_Was_?" I clarified.

Katara nodded. "Emma was captured by Sandbenders, along with Appa…the Sandbenders wanted to sell her to…to a harem…"

I thought about Sokka, and realized: "_That's_ why he's so protective…"

Katara nodded. "He doesn't want you to end up like Yue or Emma…"

I glanced up at the moon. Yue…I suddenly felt ashamed and guilty for trying to kiss Sokka before…

"Thanks, Katara…" I told her.

We exchanged a sad smile.

"We should get some sleep…we set out at first light…" Katara told me, standing up.

"Yeah…" I stood up also, feeling saddened and also worried. I'd been worrying about Emma for months now, and I realized that she was probably in even _worse_ danger than she had been before…

_O~O~O~O_

**Karai's P.O.V:**

As Jet handed out the food he, Zuko, Smellerbee and Long-Shot had successfully stolen, I sat with the latter three and Iroh, eating fried chicken, which was the closest thing I could get to a grilled cave-hopper.

Iroh said to Smellerbee: "So, Smellerbee, that's an unusual name for a young man."

I groaned and facepalmed, as Smellerbee stood up and said, indignantly: "Maybe it's because I'm _not_ a man! I'm a _girl_!" She stormed off.

Iroh tried to console her by calling out: "Oh, now I see! It's a beautiful name for a lovely girl!"

Yeah, nice one, Iroh.

The one called Long-Shot rose quickly and followed Smellerbee. He put a hand on her shoulder and stepped in front of her, giving her a hard look.

"I know." She said, contritely. 'You're right. As long as I'm confident with who I am, it doesn't matter what other people think. Thanks, Long-Shot." He nodded to her, and they returned to us.

I smiled appraisingly at Smellerbee. I'd been in her situation one too many times before with people mistaking my age. Then, I glared at Zuko, and said: "Now _that's_ what I call a _true_ friend."

He gave me a Look.

Jet joined us. Eagerly, he said: "From what I've heard, people eat like this every night in Ba Sing Se. I can't wait to set my eyes on that giant wall."

"It is a magnificent sight." Iroh told him.

"So you've been there before?" Jet wanted to know.

"Once, when I was a different man." Iroh looked away in regret, and I busied myself settling down more comfortably against the wooden part of the ship's railing.

Jet glanced around, and then said: "I've done some things in my past that I'm not proud of. But that's why I'm going to Ba Sing Se, for a new beginning. A second chance."

Iroh nodded. "That's very noble of you." He told Jet. "I believe people can change their lives if they want to. I believe in second chances." He exchanged a meaningful glance with Zuko, while Jet studied them both and then the teenager switched his gaze to me.

He smiled. "You must be excited," He said, glancing quickly at my belly. "Ba Sing Se sounds like a good place to start new lives."

"It's gotta be better than where we were before." I replied, and Zuko nodded in agreement.

Jet looked between the two of us, and then said: "So…you're…?"

I gasped. "_Him_? ! Oh, good spirits, _no_! He's _way_ too young for me!" I shook my head vehemently. "And, besides, we're…cousins…" I looked up at the moon above me. "The Father is…someone I hope I never have to meet again. Everyone deserves second chances…but not him." I shook my head again. "Not him…"

_O~O~O~O_

**Suki's P.O.V:**

We all gazed in shock the next day, at the section of the Serpent's Pass that had dropped off into the water, only to reemerge several hundred yards away.

Knowing what had to be done, Katara suddenly strode forwards. "Everyone single file."

She began to bend the water in our path, lifting up walls of water on each side of her as she descended into the ocean, and we all followed her without question. No doubt about it – her Waterbending had improved drastically since we'd last met.

She formed a capsule of air around us, and then said: "Aang, I need help."

The Avatar smiled at her, handed his staff to Toph, and began bending.

Toph rolled her unseeing eyes. She now had Aang's staff in her left hand, Momo on her right shoulder, and that scrawny little red bird perched atop her masses of dark hair. I noticed that it had very bright blue eyes, and some feathers had started to appear all over its body.

Momo suddenly noticed a school of fish, and plunged through the water-wall after him. Sokka and I looked over to see him swim by. Suddenly, a massive black form passed near him, and he leapt back onto Toph's shoulder, cowering in fright.

The red bird squawked nervously.

"What _is_ that thing?" Katara asked nervously.

Just as she said that, something hugged crashed through the walls of the bubble, breaking Katara's concentration and threatening to drown us all.

Reacting quickly, Toph bended up a rock column that rushed us all to the surface. She handed Aang back his staff, as the rest of us became aware of a long spiny dorsal fin circling us.

A gigantic jade Sea Serpent suddenly burst forth from the depths of the lake. It had a whiskered head and a long tongue lashing from its maw.

It roared at us menacingly.

"I thought you said it was just a name!" Sokka exclaimed, grabbing my arm.

"How was _I_ supposed to know? !" I snapped back.

"You know about giant sea monsters!" He replied. "Make it go away!"

"Just because I live near the Unagi, doesn't mean I'm an expert!" I retorted.

Sokka grabbed Momo now and held him up. "Oh great and powerful sea serpent," He beseeched. "Please accept this humble and tasty offering. Thank you."

"Sokka!" Katara was outraged.

"Oh, you're right, maybe it prefers chicken." Sokka realized. He clicked his fingers. "Yang-Chong, you're up!"

The red bird on Toph' head squawked angrily at this.

As the serpent lunged towards us, Aang swept an arc of wind at its head, sending it backwards.

"I'll distract him!" TheAirbender said. "Katara, get everyone across!"

As Aang flew off on his glider and the sea serpent followed him, Katara made a path of ice across the lake's surface. She ran onto it, to connect it to the other side. Why we hadn't just done this before, I'll never know.

As Sokka, Ying, Than, Ting-Ting and I ran past Katara, she rushed away to help Aang.

Sokka, running behind us, stopped suddenly when he realized that Toph was still stranded atop the rock pillar. He called to her: "Toph, come on! It's just ice!"

She put a foot on the ice, and then shrank back a little. "Actually, I'm gonna stay on my little island where I can see!" She called back to him.

A huge coil of the sea serpent suddenly crashed down behind her, sending her out onto the ice with a cry of fright. "Okay, I'm coming!" She began inching sideways across the frozen path.

"You're doing great!" Sokka encouraged her. "Just follow the sound of my voice!"

"It's hard to ignore." She said, sarcastically.

"You're almost there!" He told her.

The serpent's tail suddenly crashed through the ice bridge, shattering it and sending both Toph and the bird, Yang-Chong, into the lake.

She thrashed around. "_Help_!" She screamed. "_I can't swim_!" Yang-Chong let out a strangled cry, trying to avoid getting any water on him.

"I'm coming Toph!" Sokka shouted to her, struggling to remove one of his boots.

Realising that he'd never make it in time, I dived into the water, and began to swim towards the drowning girl. Something about her reminded me of my little sister, Raia.

As Toph went under, Yang-Chong hopped up into the air, and then landed on my head. When I dived under to save Toph, he jumped up again, and then landed back on my head when I resurfaced with Toph.

"Oh Sokka, you _saved_ me!" She said dramatically, and I realised how she mistaken me for him, since he'd been the one to call out to her. She gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"Actually," I said, a little sheepishly. "It's me…"

"Oh…" I watched as her face turned red. "Well…heheh…you can go ahead and let me drown now…" She finished, limply.

Yang-Chong seemed to snicker at this.

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

After Aang and I took care of the monster, we continued down the last rise of the pass.

Sokka was the first one to notice the wall. "There's the wall!" He pointed excitedly. "Now it's nothing but smooth sailing to Ba Sing Se!"

Famous last words.

Ying suddenly gasped, and doubled over. "Oh no!" She clutched at her belly.

"What's wrong?" Sokka asked, apprehensively.

"The baby's coming!" Ying cried, as her husband and sister eased her to the ground.

Sokka began to panic. "What? ! Now? ! Can't you hold it in or something? !"

In contrast to his anxiety, _I_ was calm. So what else was new? "Sokka, calm down." I told him. The last thing Ying needed right now was any added stress. I was willing to bet that the surprise sea monster attack was what had triggered her labor. "I helped Gran-Gran deliver lots of babies back home."

Sokka was not to be calmed. "This isn't the same as delivering an arctic seal!" He told me. "This is a real…human…thing!"

"It's called a baby," I told him, witheringly. "And I helped to deliver plenty of those, too." I turned to the others, the authority taking me over. Ying needed help. _Now_. "Aang, get some rags. Sokka, water. Toph, I need you to make an earth tent. A _big_ one." She did this, forming it around the refugees since Ying could now no longer move, and I turned to Suki. "Suki, come with me." I told her, and we both entered the tent.

It seemed strange, only a few days ago, I'd been chatting to this about Emma…and now…here I was, about to help deliver a baby…

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

Kai and I stood at the prow of the ferry, looking towards the shoreline that we could see throughout the early morning mist.

"Ming-Ming?" She mused.

"For _your_ child?" She gave me a Look. "Okay, how about Tai?" I suggested.

"Sounds too much like _my_ name." She replied. "What about Mongke?"

"Someone named Mongke tried to kill me." I replied, and watched as she flinched. "Umm, how about Ding?"

She glared at me. "Are you even _trying_ with this?" She asked me.

"I don't particularly _care_." I responded, and then bit back a curse as she stomped on my foot – hard.

We heard footsteps behind us, and Jet approached us.

To me, he said: "You know, as soon as I saw your scar, I knew exactly who you were."

Next to me, Kai tensed. I was tensed as well. Had Jet recognized me through my scar? Did he realize that Kai had Fire Nation red eyes? Had he heard us discussing baby names, all of which were from the Fire Nation?

Then, Jet went on with: "You're an outcast, like me. And, us outcasts have to stick together. We have to watch each other's backs, because no one else will."

"I've realized lately, that being on your own isn't always the best path." I replied quietly, with a grim note in my voice.

"Right on." Kai nodded. "I can sympathize with Smellerbee, for example – it's not easy being different, where people judge you for something else…damn judgmental peoples…"

She put a hand on her belly, and a warm maternal look came over her. I smiled a little...

_O~O~O~O_

**Aang's P.O.V:**

Toph, Sokka and I were waiting outside the stone tent's entrance. From inside, we could hear Katara coaching Ying, who was nearly screaming. It sounded pretty painful.

I was huddled tone side, trying not to think too much. Toph leaned on the other side of the entrance, with Yang-Chong asleep on her knee. Sokka sat next to her, wiping his face with a cloth. He'd fainted halfway through the labor.

Suddenly, we heard Ying cry out one final time, and then there was the sound of a baby crying. Toph, Sokka and I froze, and then Katara called out, happily: "It's a girl!"

Something thudded in my heart – a feeling of immense relief.

"So," Toph said to Sokka. "You want to go see the baby? Or, are you going to faint like an old lady again?"

"No, no, I'm good this time." Sokka assured her, following her into the tent.

I remained behind, that is until Katara emerged from the entrance and said: "Aang, you have to come see this."

I followed her morosely into the tent, where all attention was on a small bundle in Ying's arms. That feeling came into my heart again.

"She sounds healthy." Toph said, smiling.

"She's _beautiful_." Katara sounded awed. Her eyes were sparkling.

"It's so…_squishy_ looking…" Was Sokka's input.

I couldn't help but smile, as I gazed upon the sleeping face of the newborn baby girl. My friends were _all_ right. This was incredible…

"What should we name her?" Than asked, his face a perfect look of paternal adoration, as he knelt beside his wife and sleeping daughter.

Ying turned to him. "I want our daughter's name to be unique." She glanced down at her baby. "I want it to mean something."

I couldn't stop the tears that streamed from my eyes now. I walked into the centre of the tent. "I've been going through a really hard time, lately." I said softly. "But you've made me…hopeful again."

Ying smiled at me. "I know what I want to name our baby now. _Hope_."

"That's a perfect name." Than agreed. "Hope."

Ting-Ting nodded her approval.

The rest of us smiled, and Yang-Chong hopped down from Toph's head, gazing at the newborn baby in awe. He glanced back up at me, and peeped musically. I knew that he felt hopeful again, too…

_O~O~O~O_

Later on, Katara and I stood beneath a tree, away from everyone else as we talked.

"I thought I was trying to be strong," I mused. "But, really, I was just running away from my feelings. Seeing this family together, so full of happiness and love, it reminded me of how I feel about Appa and Emma…and how I feel about _you_."

Katara had tears in her eyes now, and we embraced, hugging each other tightly. As Suki, Sokka and Toph approached, we draw apart, and Katara straightened out my collar. I smiled. That was so typical of her.

"I promise I'll find Appa as fast as I can." I said, and then glanced at Suki. "And Emma, as well…" Toph handed me my staff. "I just really need to do this."

"See ya in the big city." Sokka said to me.

"Say hi to that big fuzzball for me." Toph punched my arm, forgetting her own strength once again. "Oh, and Appa too, of course." She added, grinning.

"You'll find them, Aang." Katara said gently.

"I know." I replied, softly. "Thank you, Katara."

Momo was going to come with me. Yang-Chong chirped a farewell, and then Momo and I took to the skies. Glancing back over my shoulder, I saw Suki approach Sokka and say something, and then he kissed her.

I couldn't keep the smile off my face then. Somehow, I was _sure_ that it was all going to turn out alright.

That was what I _thought_, until I arrived at the great wall of Ba Sing Se…and saw the giant drill heading towards it, ready to bore into the protecting wall of the greatEarthKingdom city ofBa Sing Se.

My heart just about stopped beating then, as I realized that I had something to do _before_ I found our missing friends…


	34. The Drill Team?

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

The Drill Team?

_I thought about Sokka, and realized: "That's why he's so protective…"_

_Katara nodded. "He doesn't want you to end up like Yue or Emma…"_

_O~O~O~O_

**Somebody's P.O.V:**

I stared into the flames, which burned with a fierce intensity. Beyond them, the messenger quivered with uncontrollable fright, as he cowered on the floor before me.

"M-my l-l-liege," He stammered, the pathetic excuse for a Fire Nation citizen that he was. "P-p-please f-forgive me, but it s-seems th-that the girl...she..."

"_Yes_?" I asked coldly, watching as the messenger began to shake even _more_, if that were indeed possible...

"I d-discovered that sh-she was c-captured...by...S-Sandbenders...and...s-sold..."

"_Where is she_?" I asked, the coldness in my voice instantly replaced by underlying heat. I was attempting to understand this information as best I could now, and the messenger was making it none too easy for me, much to my annoyance.

"I-I don't k-know, m-my Lord," The messenger whimpered. "I h-heard, sh-she escaped from th-them, but then...sh-she was l-last s-seen w-with the A-Avatar's bison at a...at a c-circus..."

"_What_? !" I stood up quickly, and watched as the messenger let out a terrified yelp, and buried his face in the floor. "Go." I told him.

He sprung up from the floor like it was on fire, turned and ran towards the door. When he was almost out, however, he let out a scream of pain, as fire burned his left arm and shoulder. He stumbled from the room, still screaming. I could hear him all the way down the hallway.

I sighed, and sat back down upon my throne, considering things for a moment before raising my right hand and beckoning to the person in the shadows, who came forwards at once.

"My Lord?" She said quietly, respectfully.

"Find out which circus recently acquired a flying bison and a teenage girl. Have the girl brought to me, and the entire circus burnt to the ground." I said softly, looking directly into the flames which seemed to dance before me. "Also, have someone track down these..._Sandbenders_, and teach them a lesson..." My amber eyes glittered. "And, finally, I need _you_ to approach my daughter, Zhu. I believe that _now_ is the time to commence with her training..."

"As you wish, My Lord." Zhu nodded, and backed out of the room. Her deep red robes swished behind her, and the flames in the room seemed to flicker.

I looked towards the flames, and thought about what had just happened. It was a minor setback, but one that could easily be rectified. I had had my suspicions for some time that my worthless son had been lying about his female travelling companion's demise and, after sending out multiple spies, I had recently discovered that she was, in fact, still alive. I was quite confident that, very soon, I would meet this strange traveller...this _priestess_...who came from another world...

_O~O~O~O_

**Aang's P.O.V:**

I swooped down towards the ground on my glider, and saw my friends escorting the refugee family out of the rocky pass.

It looked like Suki had decided to go back to the bay, and I wondered how Sokka was feeling about that...

I glided down to them and landed in front of them, with Momo perched on my shoulder.

"Aang!" Katara was surprised to see me. "What are you doing here? I thought your were looking for Appa, and...?"

"I was, but something stopped me." I told her. "Something _big_."

It wasn't until Toph and I were bending a rock platform up the base of the wall to lift us all up to the top, that Sokka posed the question: "Now, what's so big that our friends have to wait?"

"That." I said. It was all I needed to say because, when Sokka and his sister saw the drill, flanked by eight tanks, they both paled slightly.

"What? What is it?" Toph asked.

"You don't want to know." Katara replied faintly.

"It's big and powerful, whatever it is." Toph said, thoughtfully. "Enough power to...get through the wall..." She finished dully, realising that she was right.

"It's what the Fire Nation was working on, on the western side of Full Moon Lake." Sokka realised.

When we reached the top of the wall, the refugee family huddled together, Ying protectively holding onto baby Hope.

"We made it to Ba Sing Se, and we're _still_ not safe." She said, despairingly. "No one is."

An Earthbender guard suddenly approached us, saying: "What are you people doing here? Civilians aren't allowed on the wall."

I turned to him, a determined expression on my face. "I'm the Avatar." The guard stared at me. "Take me to whoever's in charge."

_O~O~O~O_

We were introduced to General Sung.

"It is an honour to welcome you to the outer wall, young Avatar." He smiled. "But, your help is not needed."

"Not needed?" I repeated, dubiously.

Sung was smug. "Not needed." He clarified. "I have the situation under control. I assure you, the Fire Nation _cannot_ penetrate this wall. Many have tried to break through it, but none have succeeded." He rose from behind his desk, and we followed him to survey the situation.

"What about the Dragon of the West?" Toph spoke up, as Yang-Chong gazed down at the approaching drill with wide, blue eyes. "He got in."

Sung was startled for a moment, before quickly recovering. "Well, uh, technically, _yes_. But he was quickly expunged." More confident now, he continued with: "Nevertheless, that is why the city is named Ba Sing Se. It's the impenetrable city. They don't call it _Na_ Sing Se." He chuckled over this, and then added quickly: "_That_ means penetrable city."

"Yeah, thanks for the tour, but we still got the drill problem." Toph said, bluntly as usual.

The General began to pace. "Not for long." He assured us. "To stop it, I've sent an elite platoon of Earthbenders called the Terra Team."

"That's a good group name." Sokka appraised. "Very catchy..."

The General watched the Terra Team approach the drill through a telescope. Though it was too far away for the rest of us to make out any clear details, we _did_ see that the team was taken down, swiftly and silently.

"We're _doomed_!" General Sun flailed his arms in panic.

Sokka took this opportunity to slap the General upon the face, hard. "Get a hold of yourself, man!" He ordered.

Sung rubbed his cheek sheepishly. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"_Maybe_ you'd like the Avatar's help _now_?" Toph suggested, smirking slightly.

Sung approached me meekly, and said, timidly: "Yes, please."

_O~O~O~O_

"The question is," I said, as I looked out over the wall at the approaching drill. "How are we gonna stop that thing?" Why did these things always have to fall to _me_?

Katara and I looked over at Sokka.

"Why are you all looking at me?" He asked, surprised.

"You're the idea guy." I told him.

"So I'm the _only_ one who can ever come up with a plan?" He complained. "That's a lot of pressure!"

"And also the complaining guy." His sister told him.

"That part I don't mind." He admitted.

_O~O~O~O_

**Karai's P.O.V:**

We'd finally arrived at the ferry landing, which suited me just fine. My back ached from sleeping on the hard floor, I felt sick again this morning, and suddenly _all_ I wanted was a nice cup of tea.

Was that too much to ask for?

The sooner we got into the city, the better, but of course we had to get through customs, first.

The Earth Kingdom official who was looking over our documents frowned. She was heavy-set and looked sour, and had a large, hairy mole above her right eyebrow (hey, not her fault, but that's how it was). She seemed suspicious.

"So," She sounded unpleasant. "Miss. Kikyo, Mr. Lee, and Mr...umm...Mushy, is it?"

"It's pronounced _Moo-Shee_." Iroh said peaceably.

"You telling me how to do my job?" She asked angrily, glaring at him from over our papers.

"Yikes," I whispered to Zuko, who was standing with me a few feet back. "She's even worse than that _other_ lady..."

He nodded.

Iorh was speaking to the angry customs lady. "Uh, no, no, no..." His voice took on a different, more charming tone as he stepped closer to her. "But, may I just say, that you're like a flower in bloom, your beauty intoxicating."

Fighting down a new wave of nausea, I asked Zuko: "Umm, is he _always_ like that?"

Zuko nodded again. He looked disgusted.

The customs lady fell for Iroh's charm, and smiled. "You're pretty easy on the eyes yourself, handsome." She made a cat-claws gesture. "Raorrr. Welcome to Ba Sing Se." She stamped our papers and pushed them forwards.

As Iroh came back to us, looking pleased with himself, Zuko snatched the papers away from him.

"I'm gonna forget I saw that!" The prince snapped.

"Easier said then done, scar-face." I replied, and he glared at me.

"Short-legs." He hissed back, as we made our way towards the archway leading out.

"Hot-head." I snapped right back at him.

"Takes one to know one." He retorted.

"Must be the _company_ I keep, Iroh-_Junior_." I said, under my breath, but he heard me anyway.

"_You're_ the _junior_." He replied angrily.

I stomped on his foot – hard – and marched ahead of him.

I heard Iroh chuckle from behind me, and say: "Some things never change, do they, nephew?"

_O~O~O~O_

**Jet's P.O.V:**

I watched as Lee, Kikyo and their Uncle Mushi walked through the archway, and then said to Smellerbee and Longshot: "I think Lee would make a good Freedom Fighter. He's just trying to find his way in the world, like us."

"You don't know anything about him, Jet." Smellerbee reminded me.

I held my stalk of grass to my mouth, and pointed out: "I know he didn't get that scar from a Waterbender." I saw the two cousins arguing, and then Kikyo stomped on Lee's foot and marched off. I smiled. She had a lot of spirit...

"Besides, I thought we were going straight now?" Smellerbee went on, acting like she hadn't heard my previous statement.

"We are," I assured her. "And, the new Freedom Fighters could use people like Lee, and his cousin...in a few months time, that is..." I looked past Smellerbee, to where Longshot stood by quietly. "What do you think, Longshot?" I asked him.

He looked at me meaningfully.

"I can respect that." I told him.

_O~O~O~O_

**Aang's P.O.V:**

We were in an enclosed infirmary atop the outer wall. We watched as Katara spread the blue energies of her healing technique over the arm of one of the fallen Earthbenders.

"What's wrong with him?" General Sung wanted to know. "He doesn't look injured..."

"His Chi is blocked." Katara explained. She withdrew her hands, dissipating the energy. "Who did this to you?" She asked the soldier.

"Two girls ambushed us." The soldier replied. "One of them hit me with a bunch of quick jabs, and suddenly I couldn't Earthbend, and I could barely move...and then she cart-wheeled away..." He added.

I watched the look on Katara's face, as she recognized the soldier's description of his assailant. "Ty-Lee..." Katara muttered. "She doesn't _look_ dangerous, but she knows the human body and its weak points. It's like she takes you down from the inside."

Sokka suddenly began gesturing wildly. "Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh!" He exclaimed.

"_Yes_?" Katara asked, witheringly.

"What you just said!" Sokka explained, excitedly. "_That's_ how we're gonna take down the drill! The same way Ty-Lee took down all these big Earthbenders!" He swept his arm across the room to the debilitated soldiers.

"By hitting the pressure points!" Toph exclaimed, enthusiastic. "Way to go, idea guy." She nodded.

I looked out of a window, at the drill that was steadily making its way towards the wall. I said: "We'll take it down from the inside..."

_O~O~O~O_

**Ty-Lee's P.O.V:**

I peered through the periscope of the drill, to see a huge tan dust cloud. "Hey, look at that dust cloud." I said to the others. "It's so...poofy." I smiled. "Poof!"

War Minister Ching addressed Azula. "Don't worry, Princess." He reassured her. "I'm sure it's nothing."

She looked at him doubtfully. I could tell that she was already calculating a plan of attack, if need be. She was like that. So smart and methodical, always thinking two steps ahead of everyone else. She was _incredible_...

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

Toph had whipped up a dust cloud to cover our approach to the drill, and now we stood in the shadow of the machine, which looked so much bigger than it had from a distance.

Toph bended open a pit in the ground.

"Everyone into the hole!" She ordered.

We all hopped into the hole, and she closed it up over us, bathing us in complete and utter darkness. It reminded me of the time General Fong had sunk both Emma and me into the ground, but not so much that I was freaked out.

Sokka, however, had never experienced it before, and complained: "It's so dark down here, I can't see a thing..."

"Oh no, what a _nightmare_." From my left, Toph feigned horror.

"Sorry." Sokka replied, remembering that this was Toph's entire life.

We emerged into the light directly underneath of the drill. It was a vast, gloomy region framed by long rows of tracked wheels, with the drill's body as its ceiling.

Sokka pointed to an opening in the drill's belly. "There!" He said.

Aang leapt up to catch it, and hung upside down from the pipe by his legs. He caught both me and my brother one-by-one, boosting us both up into the drill.

They both looked back when they realised that Toph was not following.

"Toph, come on!" Sokka called to her.

Toph replied: "No way am I going inside that metal monster! I can't bend in there!" Yang-Chong chirped in agreement. He seemed to have taken up permanent residence in her hair. "I'll try to slow it down out here!"

"Okay, good luck!" Sokka replied, and he and Aang both joined me in the red-lit interior of the drill.

Sokka took the lead, and studied the pipes. "I need a plan of this machine." He told us. "Some schematics that show what the inside looks like. Then we can find its weak points." For all his complaining and being an idiot, my brother is really a genius sometimes. A pure and utter genius.

"Where are we gonna get something like that?" Aang asked.

Sokka abruptly drew his machete, and chopped off a steam valve.

Okay, forget what I said before.

"What are you doing? !" Aang exclaimed. "Someone's gonna hear us!" He added, worriedly.

The room began to fill with steam.

"That's the point." Sokka seemed confident. "I figure a machine this big needs engineers to run it, and when something breaks..."

"They come to fix it." I finished, catching on instantly. Okay, so maybe he _is_ a genius...

Aang and I smiled at each other, and then we all three of us hid.

Not a moment too soon because, moments later, a large Fire Nation engineer in a filter mask entered the room, holding a large wrench and a rolled up document.

I stepped out of the steam behind him. "Hi." I greeted him, and then bended the steam, condensing it into an icy shell that entrapped him.

Sokka ran up to him and took the rolled up documents from his hand. "This'll work! Thanks!"

As we ran off, we heard the clunk of the wrench falling from the helpless engineer's hand.

When we reached a metal staircase, Sokka stopped to unroll the documents across a large pipe. As predicted, they were the plans he'd been looking for.

"It looks like the drill is made up of two main structures." He mused, studying the diagram which made _no_ sense to Aang and me. "There's the inner mechanism, where we are now, and the outer shell." He traced his finger along the diagram as he spoke. "The inner and the outer part are connected by these braces. If we cut through them, the entire thing will collapse."

Aang and I nodded in agreement, and we all set out to complete our plan.

_O~O~O~O_

**Karai's P.O.V:**

Zuko, Iroh and I were sitting, waiting for the train that would take us into Ba Sing Se. We all looked up when Jet came and joined us. He smiled at me, and then sat down beside Zuko.

"So, you guys got plans once you're inside the city?" Jet asked.

I decided I liked this kid. He seemed to really care about things. It was too bad we were Fire Nation, and he would probably hate us, since he was a refugee and all. I'd learned the hard way how Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe peoples saw us.

A voice suddenly called out: "Get your hot tea here! Finest tea in Ba Sing Se!"

A tea peddler pushed a concession cart past us.

"_Here_!" I fairly yelled, waving my arm around and nearly hitting Iroh, since he was waving _his_ arm in order to attract the peddler's attention.

"Jasmine, please." Iroh said.

"Yeah, same!" I watched as the tea was poured into a bowl for each of us, and narrowed my eyes. That tea looked..._cold_, to me...

My suspicions were confirmed when Iroh took a sip, and then spat out his mouthful in disgust. "Ugh! _Coldest_ tea in Ba Sing Se is more like it. What a disgrace!"

I nodded. "Emma would probably have a heart attack...or, maybe not, she seemed to like weird things..." I remembered.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a second?" Jet asked Zuko, who was ignoring us tea-lovers. I heard them both get up and walk away from us.

"Yes, but she was a very good girl," Iroh sighed. "She appreciated such things as tea and Pai Sho _much_ more than my nephew does..."

"Uh, _everyone_ appreciates those sorts of things better than him." I responded, looking at my reflection in the cold tea, and then glancing over at Iroh, whose tea was now steaming. I gasped softly as he took a sip. He'd just Firebended his tea! I thought we'd agreed, _no_ Firebending! I edged away from him...

Zuko had returned to us by this stage and, as if on instinct, we both looked back at Jet.

He wore an expression of complete and utter hostile suspicion, and then he turned and walked off.

Zuko abruptly turned back, and knocked the tea cup from Iroh's hands.

"Hey!" Iroh said in surprise.

"What are you doing Firebending your tea? !" Zuko hissed through gritted teeth. "For a wise old man, that was a pretty stupid move!"

Iroh sniffled. "I know you're not supposed to cry over spilled tea, but..." We all three of us looked at the cup overturned in the puddle of tea. "That's just _so_ sad!"

I handed him my tea, rolling my eyes as I did so. "So, we're agreed, no more Firebending...?"

_O~O~O~O_

**Aang's P.O.V:**

Despite the fact that Katara was getting annoyed at her brother, and both she and I were 'all-Waterbended-out', we continued to slice at the huge metal beams that were supporting the drill.

We thought that we were actually getting somewhere...that is, until a voice seemed to fill the entire machine. It said: "Congratulations, crew. The drill had made contact with the wall of Ba Sing Se. Start the countdown to victory!"

Sokka began struggling against the severed girder, but it was pointless. "Come on brace, _budge_!" He was grimacing.

"This is bad, really bad." Katara voiced all of our thoughts.

"We're putting everything we've got into busting these braces, but it's taking too long!" Sokka agreed with her. For once, Katara didn't have a go at him for saying 'we'.

I suddenly realised something. "Maybe we don't need to cut all the way through! Toph has been teaching me that you shouldn't give one hundred percent of your energy into any one strike." I bounded to my feet. "Sokka, take a fighting stance. You've gotta be quick and accurate!" I demonstrated on Sokka, by hooking my foot around one of his ankles and pulling him off balance. "Hit a series of points, and break your opponent's stance!" I hit him with a series of pretend blows. "And, when he's reeling back, you deliver the final blow!" I hit him lightly on the head. "His own weight becomes his downfall. Literally."

Sokka fell over.

"So we just need to weaken the braces, instead of cut all the way through." Katara understood.

I pointed up. "Then I'll go to the top of this thing, and deliver the final blow."

Sokka raised his arms. "And boom! It all comes crashing down!" He swept his arms down.

"Everyone inside that wall...the whole _world_...is counting on _us_." I said passionately. I knew now why everything always fell to me.

"The whole world, minus the Fire Nation, that is." Sokka reminded us.

He grinned, ignoring mine and Katara's looks of exasperation.

_O~O~O~O_

**Mai's P.O.V:**

Ty-Lee and I exchanged a glance, as it was conveyed to us that we were under sabotage.

Azula regarded Ching for a moment, before turning around to face us.

"Let's go, ladies." She ordered, and we followed her without question.

As we ran through the corridors towards the girder room, Azula said to us: "Stay sharp, you two. I've got a strong feeling that it's the Avatar."

"What makes you say that?" I asked, not really caring to know.

She smirked. "Intuition."

We arrived in the girder room, and Azula wasted no time or words. She just shot a wave of blue fire down at the three people who were there.

One was saying: "Good work, Team Avatar. Now, Aang just needs to..." The flames headed towards them. "DUCK! !"

All three of them ducked for cover, as the girls and I ran out onto another massive girder well above them.

"Whoa!" The Avatar exclaimed, narrowly avoiding Azula's second attack.

"Wow, Azula!" Ty-Lee chirped. "You were right! It _is_ the Avatar!" She smiled suddenly, when she saw the Avatar's male Water Tribe friend. "And _friends_..."

The warrior smiled vacantly and waved. "Hey."

His sister grabbed his arm and dragged him away.

Ty-Lee dropped to the bottom edge of the girder, and swung out towards the Avatar, but he threw her backwards with a gust of wind.

As they fled, Azula and I hurried to join Ty-Lee.

We followed them down the hallway, and reached a T-junction.

The two Water Tribe siblings had gone in one direction, whilst the Avatar and that little white lemur thing of his had gone the other way.

Azula pointed after the siblings. "Follow them – the Avatar is mine!"

We all nodded and took off in different directions.

Ty-Lee and I didn't talk as we pursued the Water Tribe siblings. We didn't have to. We'd been friends for so long, that words were not necessary to convey what we needed to do. We hardly needed to talk at all. Ty-Lee just _chose_ to.

We caught up to our prey, just as the girl with weird hair-braids (well, not as weird as Ty-Lee's hairstyle...) was lowering herself into a slurry pipe.

I aimed my throwing knives at her, which she dodged. As they ricocheted off of the open slurry hatch, I approached, and looked down into the pipe.

There was a whole lot of murky water down there.

"Ughh, disgusting!" I stated.

Ty-Lee looked in as well. "Come on, you heard Azula. We _have_ to follow them."

I sighed. "She can shoot all the lightning she wants at me, I am _not_ going in that wall sludge juice." I replied, with a shudder. Who knew what would happen if we went down there. It could get clogged up, or something...

Ty-Lee shrugged, as if to say: Well, suit yourself. She hopped down into the slurry flow, sending up a great splash that nearly got me. I rolled my eyes in distaste, and closed the hatch behind her. _She_ seemed to be enjoying it, but _I_ didn't sign up for this.

_O~O~O~O_

**Azula's P.O.V:**

I caught up to my prey atop the drill, where he had started to cut away at its outer hull in an X-shaped pattern.

"What I'd give to be a metal bender." I heard him say.

I smirked and, silently, directed a blue wave of fire at him.

Unfortunately, that annoying little white lemur on his shoulder gave a warning cry, and the Avatar turned and deflected the fire just in time.

"Momo, get out of here!" He shouted, and his green-eyed pet flew off.

The Avatar assumed a fighting stance to face me. He didn't look very sure of himself, which was too bad for him.

_I_ had plenty of confidence. I was as sure of myself as the sun was hot, and the Avatar couldn't _hope_ to match up to my skills. I'd been training for years, favoured by my great Father and my Firebending skills were _perfect_.

I was going to win this fight, _that_ was for sure.

I was skilled in the deadly art of both blue fire and lightning, a Firebending prodigy, and a genius. Like my element, I was deadly, skilled and precise, blazing hot and a fierce warrior. I was both beautiful and powerful.

The only thing the Avatar had was his Airbending.

It was no match for my Firebending.

Of course, he also had his other elements, but they were inferior when compared to Fire.

Or, so I thought.

As the Avatar prepared to deliver the final attack to the drill, I readied myself, and directed a scalding arc of blue fire towards him.

Just then, there was a loud bird cry, and a red shape darted upwards between the Avatar and my fire.

The fire was absorbed into the creature, which let out a musical cry, its wings glittering with gold and blue embers.

I narrowed my eyes. I recognized that bird from the ghost town. It belonged to Emma, the girl my Father had ordered to be captured. Where was she now? Why wasn't she here with them...?

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted as a shockwave hit me, and sent me screaming through the air, to slide down the back of the drill, and into the mud below.

Anger burned in my chest, threatening to escape in a fury of flames, although the fact that I'd just splashed Ty-Lee with a fresh layer of mud _did_ make me feel _somewhat_ better...

I looked up as Mai opened a steaming hatch at the rear of the drill. "We lost." She stated flatly.

_No kidding_. I thought angrily, standing up and striding across the mud, my eyes staring down at the horrible stuff, my anger blazing in my amber irises.

Just then, I heard a voice say: "My Lady?"

I looked up, to see a feminine figure silhouetted against the setting sun.

"My Lady," She repeated, standing at the edge of the muddy muck. "Do you recognize me?"

I did, and straightened up, wiping the mud from my sides as best I could. My red-hot anger diminished almost instantly, a development that could _only_ be brought about by this one particular lady. "Of course I do. It is good to see you again, but...what brings you here? Did my Father send you?"

The woman nodded. She wore deep red robes, and had golden eyes, the colour of the sun. When she removed the hood of her robes, her startling golden-coloured hair tumbled down her back in long waves.

She bowed deeply to me. "Yes, Princess Azula. Your Father wishes for me to begin your training."

"Now?" My heart started to pound. This could _only_ be the training I had been meant to begin years ago, that is until my Mother had vanished. After that, it had taken Father _years_ to find somebody else worthy enough to instruct me. "Well, that _is_ better news." I glanced behind me at the destroyed drill, and then back at the golden-haired woman. "When do we begin, Priestess Zhu?"

"Immediately." She replied, her golden eyes glittering.

We bowed to each other...

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

My Uncle, Kai and I got on the train to Ba Sing Se, and sat near a teenager, a young man and a woman nursing a newborn baby.

I ignored everyone, still furious at my Uncle for Firebending his tea.

He and Kai, however, smiled at the new young Mother.

"What a handsome baby." My Uncle said, tickling the baby with his finger.

"Thank you." The new Mother replied, and then smiled over at Kai.

She smiled back, and then turned to me. "Hey, I think I know what I want to name my baby. If it's a boy – Jet."

I glanced back at her. "I...uh, _don't_ think that's such a good idea." I replied.

"We don't know if he saw," She whispered back. "Let's just try and focus on settling in here, okay?"

I shrugged. "Whatever."

_O~O~O~O_

**Toph's P.O.V:**

I stood with Aang, Momo, Sokka, Katara and Yang-Chong, as they watched the sun setting from atop the wall.

"I just want to say," Sokka said, enthusiastically. "Good effort out there today, Team Avatar!"

Katara sounded annoyed as she replied: "_Enough_ with the Team Avatar stuff. No matter how many times you say it, it's _not_ gonna catch on."

Sokka was undeterred. "How about..." I heard him whip out his boomerang, and heard Momo give a cry of surprise. "The "Boomerang Squad"! See, it's good cause' it's got "Aang" in it!" I heard him pat Aang's head. "Boomer-Aang!"

"I kinda like that one." Aang admitted.

"Let's talk about this on our way into the city." Katara stated, and we started walking away, leaving Sokka behind.

"The "Aang Gang"?" He tried again.

"_Sokka_." His sister sighed.

"The "Fearsome Foursome"?" He suggested.

"You're crazy." I told him.

"Why?" He asked. "We're fearsome!" He hurried to catch up with us. "And, we'll change it to "Fearsome Fivesome" once we get Emma back!"


	35. Ba Sing Se – City Of Deceptions

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Ba Sing Se – City Of Deceptions

_"Well, that is better news." I glanced behind me at the destroyed drill, and then back at the golden-haired woman. "When do we begin, Priestess Zhu?"_

_"Immediately." _

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

My friends and I were inside the monorail car, on our way into Ba Sing Se. After defeating Azula and her plans to infiltrate the city, we were _finally_ getting a chance to go in there. I was pretty excited.

"Look, the inner wall." I gazed out the window. "I can't believe we finally made it to Ba Sing Se in one piece!"

"Hey, don't jinx it!" Sokka scolded me. "We could still be attacked by some giant, exploding Fire Nation spoon! Or find out the city's been submerged in an ocean full of killer shrimp."

I just stared at him.

"You've been hitting the cactus juice again." Toph observed.

"I'm just sayin', weird stuff happens to us." Sokka shrugged.

A strange man with a glassy stare and a large yellow plant in his mouth suddenly took a seat in between Toph and Sokka.

"_See_? !" Sokka squeaked.

I rolled my eyes. That could've happened to _anyone_…

I then noticed the sad expression on Aang's face, and said, comfortingly: "Don't worry, Aang – we'll find them."

"It's such a big city." Aang replied.

"He's a giant bison." Sokka reminded us. "And, she's about as easy to cage up as Toph is."

"Hey!"

"I'm just saying, where could someone possibly hide…them…" Sokka trailed off, when we saw the what was beyond the inner wall. A vast city that stretched further than we could see, riddled with roads and buildings. It was incredible, and it was _huge_…

We disembarked the monorail, and gazed out over the greatestEarthKingdomcity.

"Back in the city." Toph said, with a small sigh. "Great." From on top of her head, Yang-Chong chirped. "Glad _someone's_ enjoying it." She grumbled, clenching her fists unhappily.

"What's the problem?" Sokka wanted to know, taking a sleeping Momo off Toph's shoulder. "It's amazing!"

"Just a bunch of walls and rules." She replied, crossing her arms. "You wait; you'll get sick of it in a couple of days."

I was watching Aang. He had the bison whistle tied to the red ribbon around his neck. He brought the whistle to his lips and blew it as he looked across the city.

Lowering the whistle, and clutching it in his hands, he said: "I'm coming for you buddy. He's here. I can feel it…and, she is too…they're _both_ here…"

Yang-Chong jumped from Toph's head to mine to Aang's, and cried out softly in a musical tone. He was careful not to dig his talons into Aang's bald scalp. Over the days, he'd gone from a scrawny red bird to having some more plumage on him. His blue eyes were bright and alert, as he scanned over the city.

Then, he turned around and uttered a slightly warning cry.

We all turned around as a woman with long dark hair and a seemingly unnatural smile on her face approached us.

"Hello." She greeted us. "My name is Joo Dee. I have been given the great honour of showing the Avatar around Ba Sing Se. And you must be Sokka, Katara and Toph. Welcome tour wonderful city. Shall we get started?"

"Yes." My brother stepped forward. "We have information about the Fire Nation army that we need to deliver to the Earth King immediately."

"Great," Joo Dee began, as if she hadn't heard him. "Let's begin our tour. And then I'll show you to your new home here. I think you'll like it."

She turned around, and was attempting to lead us off, when my brother got frustrated. "Augh! Maybe you missed what I said! We need to talk to the King about the war – it's _important_!"

"You're in Ba Sing Se, now," Joo Dee replied, still smiling her unnatural-looking smile. "Everyone is safe here."

Huh?

_O~O~O~O_

**Azula's P.O.V:**

The sunlight glittered off Zhu's golden hair, as we stood under the sunlight. We'd been standing there since dawn, drinking in the sunlight and focusing our chi. For me, it was almost second-nature. I'd been _born_ to do this. And, I'd been doing it since I was a child. The sun was my source of power, what gave me the ability to destroy my opponents...

"_Azula_..."

I looked up, and found Zhu gazing at me steadily.

"Yes?"

"You are allowing certain thoughts to enter into your mind, thoughts which make you a Firebender, but _not_ a _Wunü_." Zhu told me.

"In case you've _forgotten_, Zhu, I _am_ a Firebender." I reminded her, a little annoyed. "I _also_ happen to be _crowned_ Princess of the Fire Nation."

Zhu sighed, and shook her head, dropping her hands from their praying position. I did the same thing.

We stared at each other.

We were in a forest of sorts, doing something I never in my _life_ had wanted to do – camping out. If it wasn't Zhu, and if Father hadn't sent her, I would've disagreed strongly and probably set fire to the entire forest. As it was, I had _refused_ to sleep without a tent. It was red and gold and ornate, but it was only big enough for two people. I _supposed_ I could have made Zhu sleep outside but, then again, she _was_ my mentor, and I wanted her to be in tip-top condition to oversee my training.

Mai and Ty-Lee had no choice but to sacrifice a good night's sleep and sleep outside. Well, Mai hadn't complained (she hardly _ever_ complains, unless it's about something like the colour orange) and Ty-Lee seemed to _enjoy_ it, so...everyone was happy.

Well, sort of...

Zhu was regarding me with her amber eyes, and now she said: "Do you know why I was chosen to commence your training _now_?"

I shrugged. "How should I know? Father probably just wants me to get even _stronger_, to help him in the war."

"Perhaps..." Zhu agreed, but then she looked away. I followed her gaze, and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Just a few wisps of grey smoke around the trunk of a tall tree. "Azula, I have known you since you were a baby...in fact, I was a close friend of the royal family for many years before your birth..."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Zhu, I know that you have been my Father's trusted friend for many years, which was why he searched for you all those years after my Mother's disappearance."

"It is true that Lord Ozai trusts me with the imperative task of overseeing your training, Azula," Zhu replied, clasping her hands in front of her. "The reason he chose me, however, was because your _Mother_ had elected me to be your _Laoshi_ long before you were born."

"I'm afraid I don't understand." I replied evenly. "Are you telling me that my Mother _planned_ on doing what she did? That she _hoped_ she wouldn't have to be the one to teach me?" My anger rose slightly and then fell in short, heated waves.

"Not at all, young Princess." Zhu regarded me calmly.

She wasn't afraid of me. She _respected_ me, but she wasn't scared. I didn't understand that. She _should_ be scared of me. I was her _superior_, I was the Fire Lord's favoured child, and one of the strongest Firebenders in the _world_.

"I don't deny that," Zhu once again responded to one of my unspoken thoughts, which infuriated me. "However, there are many different arts in this world, and even _more_ in the other worlds."

"Other worlds?" I repeated.

Zhu nodded. "Yes. You have many gifts, Azula. You are a talented Firebender, and skilled in the military and martial arts. You are a devoted daughter and Princess, and a beautiful young lady." I was glad she'd gotten that all straight. "You have many traits that were passed down to you from your Father's side of the family. However, you also have gifts from your _Mother's_ side, and _those_ are what we must focus on now."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "What are you saying, Zhu?"

"I am _saying_," She explained, patiently. "That you have focused on the things taught to you by your Father. These are excellent, they are what makes you a Firebender, and a warrior. However...there are things that were meant to be taught to you by your Mother. My friendship with your Mother extends back _much_ further than my acquaintance with your Father." I noticed the different terms, and raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "In time, Azula, you will be able to _see_ what I mean..."

_O~O~O~O_

**Jet's P.O.V:**

I stood in the shadows of an alleyway, and watched the three Firebenders walk in plain sight down the street. Well, I didn't know if Lee and Kikyo were Firebenders, but the old man certainly was, and that was good enough for me. Or, _bad_ enough, depending on how you looked at it. Imagine, _Firebenders_...what right did they think that they had to live here in Ba Sing Se, as _refugees_? It made me _sick_...

The old man walked jauntily, holding a large vase with several orange followers in it. Lee and Kikyo walked on either side of him. Lee appeared to be _glaring_ at the flowers, while Kikyo held onto her round belly, glaring at people who stopped to stare at her.

"This place is just _full_ of _them_." I heard her say, and then she glared so hard at a man that he jumped out of the way. "_I'm on to you_!" She snapped, glaring at him as she walked until he ran into a nearby building and slammed the door shut. Turning around, she sighed. "And you, Uncle – what's with the flowers?"

The old man had a smile in his voice as he said: "I just want our new place to look nice in case you two decide to hold a raucous party or something."

"Huh." Kikyo sniffed. "Don't hold your breath, old man."

"This city is a prison." Lee added. "I don't want to make a life here."

"Life happens wherever you are, whether you make it or not." Their Uncle responded calmly. "Now, come on, I found us some new jobs, and we start _this_ afternoon." He told them both.

They seemed surprised.

"Jobs?" lee echoed faintly.

"Me too?" Kikyo said, and their Uncle nodded firmly. "I want to go on maternity leave." She said suddenly.

"Me too." Lee mumbled, and their Uncle laughed at this.

As they walked down the street away from us, Lee and Kikyo arguing, I finally stepped out into the sunlight. "Look at them," I told Smellerbee and Longshot. "Firebenders, living right under everyone's nose."

"Jet, you saw the man with a hot cup of tea." Smellerbee argued. "It doesn't prove he's a Firebender. And what if he is?" She stared hard at me. "Are we supposed to _attack_ them? I thought we were starting over here, changing our ways?"

"We are." I reassured her, although I continued to watch the retreating backs of the there enemies. "When I get the evidence I need, I'll report them to the police and let them handle it. Okay?"

"But, what about Kikyo? You're gonna have her thrown in _jail_? I mean, she's _pregnant_?" Smellerbee reminded me.

"She's _Fire Nation_," I replied. "And, if she really _is_ pregnant, then that means her _baby_ is too..."

_O~O~O~O_

**Karai's P.O.V:**

"Achoo!" I sneezed.

"Bless you." Three other people replied in unison.

"Thanks." I sniffled, wondering who on _earth_ could be talking about me at a time like this.

We were standing inside of a shop – the new place of our employment. By _we_, I mean me, Zuko and Iroh, as well as the shop owner – our new boss.

I suppose I _shouldn't_ have been surprised by Iroh's choice of work...

"Well," Our new boss said. "You certainly _look_ like official tea servers. How do you feel?"

"Ridiculous." Said Mr. Happy.

I didn't know what _Zuko_ had to complain about. _He _already had his apron on. His Uncle and I had a slightly _different_ problem...

"Uh, does this possibly come in a larger size?" Iroh asked.

"Same." I replied, unable to get the string to tie at the back.

"I have some extra tea in the back." The tea shop owner replied. "Have some tea while you wait."

He poured us three cups of tea and handed them to us, before heading to the back of the shop. Iroh took a sip of the tea, but then quickly pulled the cup away with a look of disgust.

Holding the cup away at arms length, he said: "Eeow! This tea is nothing more than hot leaf juice!"

"Uncle, that's all tea is." Zuko reminded him.

Iroh was affronted. "_How_ can a member of my own _family_ say something so horrible? We'll have to make some _major_ changes around here..."

As he got rid of the tea by tossing it out the window, I took a tentative sip out of my own cup. "Hmm...Emma's tea was better..." I muttered. Zuko turned away from me, an unreadable expression on his face. "Oh, right, sorry...I forgot, she's your girlfriend." I knew by now that she was still alive.

"She is _not_ my girlfriend!" Zuko protested.

"Sure she's not." I replied soothingly, smirking. _He's so got it bad..._

_O~O~O~O_

**Aang's P.O.V:**

There was something _seriously_ wrong with Ba Sing Se, and also with our tour guide, Joo Dee. I wished that Emma was here, to tell us more about what was happening. Like, why was Joo Dee ignoring everything we tried to tell her about speaking to the Earth King and the war? Was Toph right – were we just being handled? And, if not, then _what_ was going on here...?

Plus, there was the whole different way of life here. _This_ was the reason I'd never come here before. The monks taught us that all life was sacred and equal. Here, however, they had different rings for different classes of citizens, and great walls dividing them all.

The upper ring, in sharp contrast to even the _middle_ ring, was a rolling landscape of seeming beauty, with tall pagodas and no sign of poverty anywhere.

No sign of _reality_. That's what Emma would've said, if she was here. Well, she was _somewhere_ in Ba Sing Se, but I knew where not.

"The Upper Ring is home to our most important citizens." Joo Dee was saying, confirming my earlier suspicions. "Your house is not too far from here." She was still wearing that unnatural grin. It was creepy...

The carriage we were in passed by another wall with a tall gate. Behind it, the roof of an enormous building was visible. Three men stood in the gateway, wearing dark robes and wide brimmed hats.

The glanced up at us as we came by.

"What's inside that wall?" Katara wanted to know.

"And, who are the mean looking guys in robes?" Sokka added.

"Inside is the RoyalPalace." Joo Dee explained. "Those men are agents of the Dai Li, the cultural authority of Ba Sing Se. They are the guardians of all our traditions." The way she said that made me wonder just what _kinds_ of traditions they had here, and what happened to you if you stepped out of line...

"Can we see the King now?" I asked Joo Dee, who laughed.

"Oh, no! One doesn't just _pop_ in on the Earth King!"

I nodded sadly. I had come to expect that much. I'd been in Ba Sing Se for about an hour now, and my first impression was..._not_ a good one...

_O~O~O~O_

When we arrived at our new house, which Momo and Yang-Chong decided to investigate, starting from the roof, we all disembarked and stood looking up at our new home.

Joo Dee smiled at us some more. "Here we are. Your new home." A messenger suddenly ran up to Joo Doo and handed her a scroll. "More good news." She said unfurling the scroll and speed-reading it. "Your request for an audience with the Earth King is being processed, and should be put through in about a month. Much more quickly than usual." She added, either choosing to ignore or _completely_ missing our looks of shock.

"A month!" Sokka echoed, sounding as stunned as I felt.

"Six to eight weeks, actually." Joo Dee clarified, still smiling unnaturally at us...

_O~O~O~O_

Once inside our new home, which was actually quite nice, really, Joo Dee said: "Isn't it nice? I think you will really enjoy it here."

"I think we'd enjoy it more if we weren't staying so long." Sokka spoke up. "Can't we see the Earth King any sooner?"

"The Earth King is very busy running the finest city in the world," Joo Dee replied. "But, he will see you as soon as time permits..."

"If we _are_ going to be here for a month," I said, standing up. "We should spend our time looking for our friends. Appa and Emma need us."

I wasn't happy about the delay to see the Earth King, but there _was_ something we could do in the meantime.

Momo and Yang-Chong perked up at my words.

Joo Dee bowed. "I'll be happy to escort you anywhere you would like to go."

"We don't need a baby-sitter." Toph said firmly, standing up and heading towards the door.

Joo Dee stepped in front of her. "Oh, I won't get in the way. And, to leave you alone would make me a bad host. Where shall we start?"

_O~O~O~O_

We decided to begin our hunt for Appa in a pet shop. As Momo and Yang-Chong explored, we spoke to the owner.

"I'm sorry," He was saying. "I haven't heard anything about a flying bison. I didn't even know there _were_ any."

"If someone wanted to sell a stolen animal without anyone knowing," I leaned forward. "Where would they go?"

Sokka had a more direct approach. "Where's the black market?" He demanded. "Who runs it? Come on, you know!" He pointed accusingly at the now decidedly uncomfortable owner.

"Uh..." The owner glanced past us, and then said: "That would be illegal!" He said, firmly now. "You'll have to leave now. Your pets are harassing my sparrowkeets."

We all turned to see Momo and Yang-Chong at a bowl of birdseed, surrounded by squawking green birds with yellow heads. Momo tried to swat them away, as Yang-Chong gulped down a mouthful of birdseed.

_O~O~O~O_

We continued our search at the courtyards of the Ba Sing Se University. A few students in robes walked around. We confronted one seated at the foot of a tall statue in the courtyard's centre.

"Hmm, I've never seen any Sandbenders or nomads around here," He was saying. He wore glasses and seemed kind of geeky. "You should ask Professor Zei, he teaches the class on desert cultures."

"Right." Sokka folded his arms. "And, which of your professors could we ask about the war with the Fire Nation?"

"Or, about which harems buy poor innocent girls from creepy-looking desert-dwellers?" Katara added, hands on hips.

The student, like the pet store owner, glanced unsure at a spot past our shoulders.

He was nervous now, and began fumbling with his scrolls and class items. "Uh, I don't know. I'm not a political science student. I have to get to class." He stood up, but tripped and dropped all of his gear. "Ugh!" Grumbling, he picked them all up, and hurried away.

Joo Dee waved after him and, later on, when we were back at our house, she said to us: "Well, I'm sorry no one has seen your friends. Why don't you go get some rest? Someone will be over with dinner later."

As the carriage pulled away, we noticed a man in the house across from us looking at us out of a window.

"Hey, come with me." Sokka whispered, and led us all across the street.

He knocked on the front door, which was opened by the same man from the window.

He smiled at us.

"You're the Avatar." He said. "I heard you were in town. I'm Pao."

"So, Pao," Sokka said, conversationally. "What's goin' on with this city? Why is everyone so scared to talk about the war?"

Pao looked left and right. "War? Scared? What do you mean?"

"I can feel you shaking." Toph stated bluntly. Our brilliant little lie-detector.

"Look, I'm just a minor governor official." Pao told us. "I've waited three years to get this house. I don't want to get into trouble." He looked left and right again, obviously worried.

"Get in trouble with _who_?" Katara asked quietly.

Pao put a finger to his lips. "_Ssh_! Listen, you _can't_ mention the war here and, whatever you do, stay away from the Dai Li!"

He slid the door shut hurriedly.

My friends and I exchanged a stunned glance...

_O~O~O~O_

**Iroh's P.O.V:**

Zuko was lying on a cot, resting, when Kai came up to him.

"Shove over, scar-face," She said, hands on hips. "I gotta sit down."

"Go sit somewhere else." Zuko told her.

She suddenly grabbed his arm and, with surprising strength for one so small, heaved Zuko off the cot and onto the floor. He let out a yelp of surprise as he landed, and she sat down smugly, smiling.

I smiled too, and said: "Would you two like a pot of tea?"

Zuko answered for both of them. "We've been working in a tea shop all day! I'm sick of tea!"

"Sick of tea?" I repeated, shocked. "That's like being sick of breathing."

"That's what _Emma_ would say," Kai lay down on the cot with a small groan, resting one hand beside her head, and the other on her belly. "She's like that..."

I busied myself with looking under the counter for our spark rocks, as Zuko said: "Yeah, she is..." I pictured him twining the red ribbon around his wrist through his fingers.

"She told me a poem, once," Kai said softly. "It went: _I cannot sit and chat with you, the way I'd like to do, so brew yourself a cup of tea, I'll think of you – you think of me_. I remembered that from before..." Raising her voice slightly, she said: "Need some help there, Uncle?"

"Have you seen our spark rocks to heat up the water?" I asked. "I can't seem to find them..."

"They're not there?" I heard Kai get up off the cot. "Hold on a minute, then..." She was off and running – literally – and returned, half a minute later, with a pair of spark rocks. "I met our new neighbours." She explained, handing them to me, along with a big bag full of delicious-looking food, and something that smelled suspiciously like roast duck in a covered dish.

"Such kind people." I smiled, and struck the spark rocks together to create a small flame in the pile of twigs beneath our tea pot.

"What'dya do, shorty, interrupt their dinner before threatening them with disembowelment?" Zuko was sitting back on the bed, and Kai went and pushed him off so that she could put her feet up.

"_No_," She snapped. "I actually invited them to come over and _meet_ with us, but they said they had to go out."

"Probably to replenish their supplies." Zuko teased her, and was rewarded with a kick to the back of his head, courtesy of Kai's booted foot.

I smiled as the two of them squabbled. Some things were probably never going to change...

_O~O~O~O_

**Sokka's P.O.V:**

The next morning, Katara had some exciting news, and rushed into the living room where we were all lounging around doing absolutely nothing. Well, _I_ was having a staring contest with Yang-Chong, so it was everyone _else_ who was doing nothing.

"I've got it!" Katara exclaimed, running in. "I know how we're gonna see the Earth King!" She waved a scroll around.

"How are we supposed to do that?" Toph wanted to know. "_One doesn't just _pop_ in on the earth King_." She mimicked our crazy tour guide, Joo Dee, from yesterday.

"The King is having a party at the palace tonight for his pet bar." She explained.

"You mean Platypus-Bear?" Aang asked, looking up at her.

"No," Katara said dully, glancing back down at the scroll. "It just says..."Bear"."

"Certainly you mean his pet Skunk-Bear." I stated.

"Or his Armadillo-Bear?" Toph suggested.

"Gopher-Bear?" Aang tried again.

"Just..."Bear"." Katara repeated.

"This place is weird." Toph voiced all of our opinions.

We were silent for a moment more, before Katara said: "The palace will be packed. We can sneak in with the crowd."

"Won't work." Toph said immediately, lying down.

"Why not?" Katara asked.

I turned my gaze back to Yang-Chong. It was eye of the Tigerdillo-time for Sokka, no blinking, no expressions, just _nothing_.

Ynag-Chong eyed me back, steadily.

"Well, no offence to you simple country folk," I heard Toph say. Yeah, right, like the South Pole was _really_ the _country_. "But a _real_ society crowd could spot you from a mile away. You've got no manners."

"Excuse me?" My sister replied, indignantly. "_I've_ got no manners? _You're_ not exactly lady fancy fingers."

Just then, Yang-Chong leaned forwards and pecked me on the nose, breaking my concentration and causing me to fall back.

"Ow!"

"Yang-Chong wins." Aang announced.

Yang-Chong ruffled his feathers, looking proud.

"I learned proper society behaviour and chose to leave it." Toph was saying. "You never learned anything. And frankly, it's a little too late."

"A-ha, but you learned it," I reminded her. "You could teach us!"

"Yeah," Aang agreed. "I'm mastering every element. How hard could manners be?" He grabbed a nearby curtain and draped it around himself like a royal robe. His voice took on a sophisticated tone, as he said: "Good evening, Mr. Sokka Water Tribe. Ms. Katara Water Momo of the Momo Dynasty, your Momo-ness."

Momo peeked out from underneath a curtain and bowed his head. You could almost hear the gong chime.

At this point, I'd donned my _own_ curtain as a robe, and mimicked Aang. "Avatar Aang, how _do_ you do?"

Aang bowed to me and I bowed back. Trying to out-do me, Aang bowed lower, and I returned it with an even _deeper_ bow. This ended with both of us trying to bow at the same time, and knocking our foreheads together. We both fell over backwards with a crash.

"Ow!" Aang complained.

"_Katara_ might be able to pull it off," Toph criticized. "But you two would be lucky to pass as busboys."

I protested to her: "But I feel so fancy."

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

I was humming, as Toph did my hair later that evening. _Why_ I was trusting the blind girl with my hair, I'll never know. Anyway, she seemed to know what she was doing.

"What's that song you're humming, Katara?" Toph wanted to know, as she wound my long hair up through a large comb.

"Something Emma was singing one time," I replied, and began singing: "_Wait and see, when we're through, boys will gladly go to war for you_," I smiled as Toph finished with my hair, and I looked in the mirror to admire myself. "_With good fortune and a great hair-do, you'll bring honour to us all_..."

"What a weird song." Toph remarked, fiddling with the ornaments hanging from my comb.

"Yeah." I agreed, as we stepped out of the bathroom to show the boys our new look.

Holding fans in front of our faces, I was instantly reminded of Emma and, as we left, Yang-Chong suddenly landed on Toph's head, settling himself against her comb and amongst the red ornate flowers she had placed there.

"Can you stay still like that?" Toph asked him, and he crowed softly. "I'll take that as a yes, otherwise it's headless chook for you."

I was reminded of Emma's story of Headless Mike, and smiled faintly...

_O~O~O~O_

**Karai's P.O.V:**

I watched as Iroh poured a cup of tea for an officer who had just walked into our (?) tea shop.

"This is the best tea in the city!" The officer exclaimed, after taking a sip.

"The secret ingredient is love." Iroh told him, smiling as he made his way to the back of the shop.

"That and a whole lot of leaf-juice." I muttered to Zuko, who nodded, and I handed him a tray. Untying my apron, I added: "I'm taking my break now..." I said, as our boss told Iroh that he was due for a raise. "Me too?" I stepped up to him, giving him a Look.

He looked back down at me, calmly. "We'll discuss wages _after_ you go onto our Single Mum Scheme – we call it SMS, but please don't confuse it with our Secret Messaging System."

I nodded. Inside of me, the baby gave a slight kick, and I winced, just as the tea shop door was slammed open.

Zuko, Iroh and I turned around, as Jet stepped into the shop.

Pointing at the three of us, he said: "I'm tired of waiting – those three people are Firebenders!"

Zuko, Iroh and I stared at Jet in complete and utter shock.

I _know_ he'd seen Iroh Firebend his tea before, but I _really_ hadn't expected him to react like this...were _all_ refugees this way when it came to Fire Nation? Did Ozai know about this?

Jet suddenly unsheathed his hook swords and took a step towards us. Zuko and Iroh both moved to stand in front of me, as all attention in the shop was fixated on this disturbance.

"I know they're Firebenders!" Jet was saying. "I saw the old man heating his tea!"

"He works in a tea shop." The officer from before said.

"He's a Firebender. I'm telling you!" Jet protested.

"Drop your swords boy, nice and easy." The officer said, and he and his partner stood up.

They were going to take care of Jet, and I felt nervous, because I didn't really want Jet to get hurt. He was accusing us and threatening our new way of life, but...he was a good kid. I could tell...

Apparently, Zuko felt the same way, because he grabbed the swords from one of the two officers, and prepared to take on Jet by himself..._without_ using Firebending...

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

It took Toph and me awhile to actually get _in_ to the palace, since the guard wouldn't let us in without invitations, and then we had to get a random official to help us in. I pretended that Toph was my cousin and that she lost our invitations, but she seemed _more_ upset about her alias name (Dung) than that.

Unfortunately, the man – Long Feng – _wouldn't_ leave us alone after that. I was worried. Aang and Sokka were waiting for us to let them in. How would we meet up?

_O~O~O~O_

**Iroh's P.O.V:**

I was worried for both Zuko and Jet, as the sword fight moved out into the street, and everyone crowded around to watch. Even though it looked like the officers were just going to wait and see what would happen, I was still concerned.

"You must be getting tired of using those swords!" I heard Jet say to Zuko. "Why don't you go ahead and Firebend at me?"

"Please son, you're confused!" I called out to Jet, as I stood in the doorway of the shop. "You don't know what you're doing!"

Kai suddenly pushed past me and yelled: "Yeah, go Lee! Left hook, right hook! Give him the old one-two!"

"This _isn't_ a fist-fight, Kiki!" He yelled back to her, straining with the effort of keeping Jet at bay using the swords. No doubt about it – Jet was an experienced swordsman.

I put a hand on her shoulder, restraining Kai.

"Bet you wish they're help you out with a little fire blast right now!" Jet taunted Zuko.

"You're the one who needs help." Zuko responded. I was proud of the way he was handling this, but still concerned about what the outcome might be, even if he won...

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

Toph and I easily found Aang and Sokka, who were dressed up as busboys and carrying trays of crab puffs and drinks. As Toph nibbled on a crab puff, Sokka turned to me.

"Thanks for letting us in." My brother said, sarcastically.

"Sorry," I apologized. "But the guy who let us in won't let us out of his sight."

"What guy?" Sokka peered behind me, trying to find Long Feng.

Oh, sure, _now_ he decides to leave us alone...

Just then, Joo Dee appeared. _Great_. However, her normally cheerful demeanour was replaced by anxiety.

"What are you doing here?" She asked worriedly. "You have to leave immediately, or we'll all be in terrible trouble."

As Joo Dee tried to push Sokka out of the way, he blocked her with his tray. Yang-Chong gave a quiet, warning cry.

JeeDeeaccidentally-on-purpose shoved my brother into Aang, causing him to spill the contents of the pitcher he was holding all over a female guest.

In order to help her out, Aang used his Airbending, which attracted the crowd's attention. We weren't sure about it, but we decided to use it to our advantage...to find the Earth King!

_O~O~O~O_

**Jet's P.O.V:**

I have never been so relieved as when I heard a guard say: "Drop your weapons!"

Lee and I did as we were told, and his Uncle and cousin hurried over to him.

I pointed to all three of them. "Arrest them. They're Firebenders."

"This poor boy is confused." The old man told the guards. "We're just simple refugees."

_Lies_!

"This young man," The tea shop owner pointed to me. "Wrecked my tea shop and assaulted my employees."

"It's true, sir." An officer confirmed. "We saw the whole thing. This crazy kid attacked the finest tea maker in the city."

The old man blushed. "Oh ho ho. That's very sweet." He said.

The two guards walked up behind me, and I glared at them and attempted to attack, but I was quickly disarmed and led away to a wagon designed for holding criminals.

What? ! Why were they treating _me_ like the enemy? ! _I_ wasn't the enemy – those Firebenders were!

A face suddenly appeared behind the guards – it was Lee's cousin, Kikyo.

She looked at me with a mixture of sympathy and frustration, and said: "Why are you doing this?" Her scarlet eyes pierced into mine.

Scarlet eyes, like a Fire Nation person. She was probably involved in the war before!

"Because _you_ deserve this!" I spat at her, looking at her with contempt. "The whole _world_ will know what you and your baby are!"

She gasped, and a look of pain crossed her face as she cried out and hunched over.

A strange feeling shot through my heart just then.

"Kiki!" At once, Lee and the old man were at her sides, supporting her as she hunched over in pain. That was the last I saw of her, before the doors were closed and the blackness surrounded me...

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

And, at last, we found the Earth King! But, as Aang used his Air Scooter to make his way up the table towards the procession, it began to leave!

Sokka exited the crowd and tried to follow him, but was grabbed and lead away by two Dai Li agents.

Yang-Chong attempted to fly away, but he was grabbed by a stone hand and pulled out of the sky.

I didn't see what happened to Toph but, just then, a stone hand grabbed me and dragged me back into the darkness.

We were taken to a library, where Aang soon joined us, followed by Long Feng who sat with his back to a fire of emerald green flames.

"Why won't you let us talk to the Earth King?: My brother wanted to know. "We have information that could defeat the Fire Nation!"

"The Earth King had no time to get involved with political squabbles and the day to day minutia of military activities."

"This could be the most important thing he has ever heard." Aang protested.

And, it was then that we found out two things. One, the Dai Li were the ones who were _really_ in charge here. The King was just a figurehead. And two…the war was never, ever to be mentioned in Ba Sing Se. Whether it was because they didn't care or because they truly wanted people to believe the lie that there was no war. It didn't matter.

Because, when Long Feng threatened to disrupt our search for Appa and Emma, I noticed Aang's posture changed.

Not even when "Joo Dee" came in with a different haircut and a different face (but still the same creepy-smile) did I once believe that Aang was going to give this up.

He wasn't going to let any of this stop him now.

We were on our own…


	36. Ba Sing Se – City Of Connections

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Ba Sing Se – City OfConnections

_"Hmm...Emma's tea was better..." I muttered. Zuko turned away from me, an unreadable expression on his face. "Oh, right, sorry...I forgot, she's your girlfriend." I knew by now that she was still alive._

_"She is not my girlfriend!" Zuko protested._

_"Sure she's not." I replied soothingly, smirking. He's so got it bad..._

_O~O~O~O_

**The Tale Of Toph And Katara – Two Pearls**

The Avatar and his friends were staying in a comfortable, well-furnished house in a part of the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se.

One morning, when they'd been there for about a week, the day started off like any other. Aang was shaving the shaving cream off his already-bald head with a razor blade. The bald monk nodded at his reflection in the mirror, satisfied.

Next to him, Sokka used the tip of his machete to cut off the few hairs growing above his upper lip. He clicked his tongue and at _his_ reflection.

On the other side of Sokka, his younger sister Katara fixed the hair-loopies on either side of her head. Once she was done, she smiled.

One a chair nearby, Momo was giving himself a bath like a cat, and Yang-Chong was perched on the back of the chair, preening his feathers.

Katara then left the bathroom and walked back into the room that she was sharing with Toph. The blind Earthbending girl was lying face-down on her bed, her hair a horrible mess and her blanket lying sloppily over her.

Katara gasped. "Huh! Toph, aren't you gonna get ready for the day?"

Toph lifted her head, and her wild bed-head-hair flew about wildly. Katara watched in shock as Toph got up, and announced: "I'm ready."

"You're not gonna wash up?" Katara asked her faintly. "You've got a little dirt on your…well, everywhere, actually."

"You call it dirt." Toph shrugged. "I call it a healthy coating of earth."

The Waterbender regarded her newest friend for a moment, before a smile lit up her tanned face. "Hmmm. You know what we need? A girl's day out!"

"Do I _have_ to?" Toph whined. It didn't sound like her kind of scene.

"It'll be fun!" Katara assured her.

_O~O~O~O_

The two girls found themselves standing out the front of a large building decorated with pictures of flowers and plants. Fancy-looking women dressed in beautiful robes walked out and smiled at each other.

"The Fancy Lady Day Spa?" Toph repeated the name after Katara had read it to her. "Sounds like my kinda place."

"Are you ready for some serious pampering?" Katara asked her.

Toph sighed, shrugging. "Sure Katara, whatever you say. As long as they don't touch my feet."

_O~O~O~O_

Two hours later, the two girls walked down the street, looking like completely different women. They'd had their feet scrubbed (much to Toph's displeasure- the attendants had had to hold her down), their faces muddied and then cleaned, a sauna, and a make-over. Both girls now wore lots of make-up, and they'd had their hair washed.

"Well, that wasn't so bad. I'm not usually into that stuff, but I actually feel…_girly_."

"I'm glad." Katara replied, smiling. "It's about time we did something fun together…" She trailed off, her thoughts drifting back to their missing travelling companion. It had been nearly a month now, since Emma had been captured by Sandbenders. Katara didn't know if Emma had managed to escape but, from the sounds of things, she prayed to the spirits that their friend was okay. Emma would have loved to have come along on their girls day out – well, she would've loved everything _except_ for the face-masks, since she didn't like things like that on her face. She would've laughed at Toph making faces through the mud, though, and also at the Earthbender accidentally-on-purpose Earthbending the foot massager ten feet away.

Katara sighed, and then heard a smilar sigh beside her. It appeared that Toph's train of thought was heading in the same direction…

As the two girls walked across a stone bridge that crossed a creek, they passed three girls going in the other direction. The girls were dressed similar to them, although one carried a fashionable parasol.

"Wow, great makeup." The girl with the parasol said.

"Thanks." Toph replied.

"For a clown!" The girl went on, and she and her friends laughed.

As they'd hoped, Toph stopped walking, and her shoulders sagged.

"Don't listen to them," Katara put a hand on Toph's shoulder. "Let's just keep walking." She glared at the girls over her shoulder. She knew these types of girls, she's met them in many of the large cities they'd been to. Girls who thought they were all-that, and loved making fun of other people. Emma had once remarked that mean girls were like a virus – if they infect one person, then everyone else gets sick, too.

"I think she looks cute," Said a girl, with her brown hair tied up into buns. She appeared to be the ringleader of the group. "Like that time we put that sweater on your pet poodle-monkey!"

The other mean girls laughed, and the one who hadn't spoken yet said: "Good one, Star!"

The truth was, Star was actually quite jealous of the two girls that she'd just encountered. They weren't as dressed up as Star and her friends, and _that_ was the problem. The little Earth Kingdom girl had a sweet, doll-like face, beautiful misty eyes and the shiniest dark hair Star had ever seen. And the Water Tribe girl, well! From her exotic to her tanned skin to her deep blue eyes, the unique way she wore her hair and the beautiful handcrafted choker around her neck…neither of the two girls _needed_ fancy clothes to make them look good! Their own nations' robes were enough.

Star was an insanely spoilt and jealous girl, and this was just _too_ much.

"Let's go, Toph." Katara said.

"No, no." Toph turned around. "That _was_ a good one! 'Like your poodle-monkey'! Ha ha!" She laughed. "You know what _else_ is a good one?"

She stomped her foot down, and Earthbended a hole in the stone bridge beneath the three mean girls, and they fell down into the creek below with a scream.

"Now _that_ was funny!" Katara agreed, and used her Waterbending to create a huge wave to send the three girls screaming away downstream.

Toph turned and walked away, still dejected, and Katara hurried to catch up with her.

"Those girls don't know what they're talking about." The Waterbender said comfortingly.

"It's okay." Toph replied. "One of the good things about being blind is I don't have to waste my time worrying with appearances. I don't care what I look like. I'm not looking for anyone's approval. I know who I am." She stopped walking.

Katara stopped beside her. "That's what I really admire about you, Toph. You're so strong and confidant and self-assured. And, I know it doesn't matter, but…you're really pretty." She said sincerely.

Toph smiled, a little more confidently. "I am?"

"Yeah, you are." Katara reassured her.

They began walking again.

"I'd return the compliment, but I have no idea what you look like." Toph said suddenly.

Katara laughed.

"Thank you, Katara." Toph punched Katara's shoulder in a friendly way.

"Ow!" Katara complained, rubbing her sore shoulder. "You know, I think it was because there were three girls there, it was a little bit hard, wasn't it?"

"She's in this city." Toph said, confidently. "If she'd been here, she would've put those girls in their place."

"Actually, I think _we_ did." Katara admitted.

The two girls laughed.

Downstream, Star and her friends (Cloud and Moon) coughed and spluttered as they dragged themselves out of the water.

"Not a _word_ about this to anyone!" Star said fiercely to her friends, who nodded in agreement. "Now, come on – everything's _ruined_. I need new robes for the Star Festival."

"It's named after you, isn't it, Star?" Cloud chirped.

"And, it's next week, on the same day as your birthday, right Star?" Moon added, trying to shake the water out of her parasol.

"Leave it." Star snapped, swatting it out of Moon's hand. "You'll get a new one. We _all_ will. Masks, too. And, yes, you were both right. Why, it's practically _my_ festival. It should be good, even though I wish they _didn't_ invite certain people from the other rings. It simply _isn't_ done…"

"No, it isn't." Her friends intoned in unison.

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

**The Tale Of Iroh – Can't Look Back**

Iroh, whom was walking pleasantly down the lane, when he stopped to examine a basket being sold by a merchant.

"If this is for a romantic picnic, may I suggest this lavender one?" The merchant said cheerfully.

"No, it is not a romantic picnic, but it _is_ a special occasion." Iroh replied, handing the merchant a few coins and picking up the basket. He happened to notice a closed flower in a vase before he left, and slid it into the shade, out of the sun. "The moonflower likes partial shade." He remarked, as the flower burst into bloom.

He continued on his way, and presently came across a merchant selling liugins. As he was examining the stringed-instrument, the sound of a crying child caught his attention.

Turning around, he saw a little boy standing in the middle of the street, crying. His attempted, in vain, to console him.

Iroh picked up one of the liugins, and began playing a song as he walked towards the boy and his Mother. Iroh began to sing: "_Leaves from the vine, falling so slow, like fragile tiny shells, drifting in the foam, little soldier boy, come marching home, little soldier boy, comes marching home…_" He knelt down beside the boy.

The little boy immediately smiled, and he reached up and tugged on Iroh's long beard.

"Yeowch!" Iroh exclaimed, but he didn't mind. It was worth it just to see the little boy smile and laugh like that, after he'd been crying.

_O~O~O~O_

A short while later, Iroh was passing through a courtyard, carrying his purchases. Four boys were playing a kicking game with a white ball, using Earthbending to get the ball through the goals.

One boy created a path for the ball to roll along, but the goalkeeper used Earthbending to stop the ball from getting through, and launching it into the air.

As Iroh walked by, the ball flew straight towards him. He ducked just in time, and the ball sailed on past, crashing through a window.

"Hey!" An angry voice yelled from inside the house.

"It is usually best to admit mistakes when they occur," Iroh said, walking towards the boys who gathered around to hear him out. He went on, brightly: "And, to seek to restore honour!"

They suddenly heard some smashing going on inside the house, and a large, angry-looking man appeared in the window.

"When I'm through with you kids, the window won't be the only thing that's broken!" The man bellowed.

"But not this time." Iroh went on. "Run!"

They did, Iroh running faster than any man his age should have been able to.

Hiding in an alleyway, he set down his basket of purchases and checked around the corner to see if he was being chased but, to his relief, he was not.

However, he had more issues, as a voice behind him said: "You! Give me all your money!"

Iroh back turned around, to see a messy-looking man pointing a dagger at him. His legs, however, were bent at a very strange angle.

"What are you doing?" Iroh wanted to know.

"I'm mugging you!" The man replied.

"With that stance?" Iroh raised an eyebrow.

"Wha…what are you talking about?" The mugger exclaimed. "Just give me your money, old man!"

"With a poor stance you are unbalanced, and you can be easily knocked over." Iroh replied and, swiftly, disarmed the man, who ended upon the ground because of it. Iroh, however, helped the man to his feet and showed him how to achieve a much more solid stance. That way, he'd be more of a threat.

"But, to tell you the truth, you do not look like the criminal type." Iroh told the man.

"I know…I'm…I'm just confused." The man admitted.

Upon hearing this, Iroh smiled, made the man a cup of tea (and, one for himself too, of course) and sat down to listen to the man's story and try to come up with a solution to his problems.

"So, you really think I could be a good masseur?" The man asked, sounding surprised.

"Of course!" Iroh responded.

"This is so great!" The man exclaimed. "No one has ever believed in me!"

Iroh was sorry to hear that. "While it is always best to believe in one's self, a little help from others can be a great blessing." Iroh smiled.

_O~O~O~O_

That evening, Iroh knelt on the grass atop a hill within the city. He gazed upon the memorial he had just constructed, including the sketched picture of his beloved son, Lu Ten. He had been quite a handsome young man, but now he was gone. Iroh looked upon the picture and said: "Happy Birthday, my son." Tears fell from his eyes in steady streams. "If only I could have helped you." He began to sing the same song he had sung before, only this time his voice was close to cracking, due to the grief that was still aching in his heart, and most likely would be until they met again.

"_Leaves from the vine, falling so slow, like fragile, tiny shells, drifting in the foam, little soldier boy, come marching home, brave soldier boy, comes marching home_…"

Not a day went by when Iroh didn't miss Lu Ten. He blamed himself for his son's death. A life that should _never_ have been taken. A life that could never be replaced.

His shoulders shook.

Unseen to Iroh, the wisps of grey smoke from the incense sticks swirled together, and drifted behind him to form a human figure.

The ghostly form of Lu Ten watched his Father. He looked not a day older than he had been the last time he had walked the earth alive, and he reached out a ghostly hand and placed it on his Father's shoulder.

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

**The Tale Of Aang – Monster Corral**

The young bald monk named Aang soared above the large city of Ba Sing Se on his glider, and then he landed on a particular street, which was lined with various cages and pens built into the rocks.

Inside the cages there were things like Dragon Flyers and Armadillo Lions and, to Aang's surprise, they all seemed very bored.

He knelt down in front of the Armadillo Lion's cage and held out his hand, saying: "Hey there, fella. You look hungry." The lion roared loudly, and Aang quickly jumped back with a yell, withdrawing his hand because he really wanted to keep it.

The Armadillo Lion curled up into a ball and rolled away.

The zoo keeper walked up behind Aang, sweeping. "Hm. They _are_ hungry."

He seemed sad and, as Aang walked with him, the story came out.

"The Dai Li won't give me any money because the kids stopped coming." The zookeeper explained. "And the kids won't come because my zoo's nasty and broke."

Aang glanced sideways into a cage that they were passing. "What kind of animal is that?" He didn't recognize the occupant.

"Oh, that's a Rabbiroo." The zookeeper told him. "I wish I could get her a big open prairie like she likes. I'd let her hop her way to happiness."

Aang smiled suddenly. "Let's do it!"

"Say again?" The zookeeper blinked.

"There's a big open space right outside the walls of the city." Aang said, still grinning.

"But how are you gonna transport all these wild critters?" The zookeeper asked him.

"Don't worry. I'm great with animals." Aang responded.

_O~O~O~O_

In no particular order, here's what happened next:

The Sabre-Monkeys wreaked havoc in a pottery shop.

An Elephant-Mandrill stampeded down the street after a crowd of terrified people.

The Dragon Flyers swarmed over another group of people.

Even _more_ people were menaced by a Platypus Bear which chased them down an alley.

The Armadillo Lion rolled up and ran amok.

And, the cabbage merchant was wailing again, as the Rabiroo devoured green plant after green plant. "My cab…" The Rabiroo looked right at him. "Oh, forget it!" The cabbage merchant walked away. The Rabiroo continued to chow down.

"This was so much easier in my head." Aang admitted, after using his staff to shoo away the Dragon Flyers with Airbending.

Just then, he snapped his fingers, formulating a master plan to save them all from his first master plan.

Reaching under his shirt, the young Airbender pulled out the bison whistle hanging from the red ribbon. With a great deep breath of Airbending, he blew into the whistle, which emitted a much louder and higher sound than usual. It practically caused a sonic shockwave to fan out across the city and, more to the point, it got the attention of all the wild animals.

Aang rode his Air Scooter down the street, blowing the whistle again before leaping up into the air and gliding down the main street, followed by all the animals. A turtle seal brought up the rear.

At the gates, the zookeeper was pleading with the two guards on duty. "But you _have_ to open this gate!" He begged.

"Or what?" One of the guards replied.

The zookeeper pointed behind himself. "Or _that_!"

The Avatar was approaching on his Air Scooter, with an entire stampede of assorted creatures behind him.

The second guard ordered: "Open the gate!"

_O~O~O~O_

The animals grazed contentedly soon after, in their brand-new Earthbended-corals, in the new zoo just outside the walls. The guards at the gate, and a lot of other people, now came to see the animals.

Every one of them was now happy and content, including the Rabiroo, who now sported three little joeys in her pouch.

Aang stood by her enclosure, talking to the zookeeper. "Well, Mr. Zookeeper, how do you like your new facilities?"

"Excellent job, Avatar," The zookeeper replied, smiling. "You should think about working with animals for a living."

"Mommy," A child's voice said suddenly, and Aang glanced over his shoulder to see the boy pointing into another enclosure. "Ms. Snowflake got out of the house again."

Aang frowned.

"Fluffykins?" A female visitor peered down at her tan and dark brown cat, which was hissing at the curious Elephant Mandrill. "What are you _doing_ down there?"

"On second thought," The zookeeper said to Aang. "You should probably stick to saving people."

Aang laughed nervously.

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

**The Tale Of Karai – Trail Of Seeds**

A small young woman with her dark hair tied up messily walked down the street, holding a shopping bag full of food.

"I can't _believe_ they made me do this by myself!" Karai (Kai) grumbled, trying not to balance the heavy bag on her very round belly. "_Imagine_, sending a _pregnant_ girl to do your grocery shopping! Just because _I_ used to be a cook, does that mean I'm the _only _one who can have anything to do with food preparation? I mean, what could they both be _doing_ that's so important? !" She grumbled to herself, and people got out of her way because of it.

Just then, she felt somebody nudge her arm and, when she turned to look, she saw a little boy, no older than eight and about the same height as her, with his hand out to her.

"What do you want, kid-chops?' She snapped.

"Give me some food." He demanded, sounding just as stubborn as she was.

"Get a life." She responded, and turned to go. "I got bigger problems."

"Come on, lady, I gotta eat." The kid demanded. "You can spare a _few_ things, can't you?"

"I said _no_." Kai replied. She looked around. "Go and bug your parents or something."

"I got no parents." The kid said, sullenly. "Why do you think I'm here?"

Kai had to admit that she _did_ feel a little sorry for him, and so she set her bag down on the ground to take something out for him.

Just as she stooped down, the kid snatched the entire bag away from her, and took off running down the street!

"_Hey, get back here_!" Kai yelled, getting to her feet as fast as she could which was difficult because of her round belly. She ran after the kid, who was a lot faster than he looked. "_When I get my hands on you you're gonna wish you were arrested by the Dai Li instead, you here me_? !"

"_You can't catch me, you fat old hag_!" The kid responded, laughing in a way that infuriated the already furious Kai.

He turned the corner before she did, and she sped after him, just as she heard a yelp from the kid.

She turned the corner to see the kid being held up by the back of his robes, by the rocky hand of a Dai Li agent. The kid's legs were struggling futilely in the air, and Kai felt a thrill of smugness at this fact.

"What did I tell you, you snot-nosed little kid?" Kai aid triumphantly, trotting over to them. "_Justice_!"

The Dai Li agent holding the little thief was in his twenties, with a long dark brown braid and handsome features. He looked from the kid he was holding, to the bag of groceries on the ground, and then at Kai, and said: "Aiguo! She's not fat, she's pregnant!" He glared at the boy.

"So what?" The little boy, Aiguo, snapped, meeting the glare of the Dai Li agent steadily, which Kai thought was very brave of him until he said: "You're only annoyed with me for stealing because you think it'll make _you_ look bad, big brother!"

"You shouldn't be stealing at _all_!" The Dai Li agent who was his brother shook his head. "Do you think Mum and Dad will be any more forgiving than the rest of the Dai Li, Aiguo?"

"I don't care." Aiguo said sullenly, his dark brown eyes glaring out from underneath his fringe of dark brown hair.

"Parents? !" Kai repeated. Her hands flew to her hips as the two brothers looked at her. "You told me you didn't _have_ any parents!" Her red eyes flashed. "So what, you're a thief _and_ a liar now, is that it? You little brat!" She was practically breathing fire.

"You old hag!" Aiguo glared at her. "None of this would've happened if you'd just shared!"

"I live with two other people, soon to be three!" Kai snapped back.

"Who cares?" Aiguo struggled with his captor, eventually able to free himself, and then he grabbed a bag of seeds and ran off, leaving his brother, Kai and the rest of the groceries behind.

Kai and the Dai Li agent watched him go, and then exchanged a glance.

"I apologize for my little brother's behaviour," The older brother bowed slightly. "My parents and I are very busy with work, and I'm afraid Aiguo does not know what to do with the time he spends on his own, which is often."

"I've half a mind to introduce him to a Platypus Bear sometime!" Kai responded, attempting to stoop down and collect her groceries.

"Here, let me help you." The Dai Li agent said quickly, kneeling down and quickly gathering the items back up in the bag for her. "My name's Tai-Lung, by the way."

"Kiki." She replied shortly, still feeling annoyed about what had just transpired. "Look, no offence, Tai-Lung, but I think your brother needs some firm discipline or, at the very least, a hobby."

Tai-Lung sighed. "I know. I'd at least like to know where he _is_ for most of the day. The neighbours say he's never at home when we're all out."

"Let's find out!" Kai said suddenly.

"What?" Tai-Lung just looked at her.

"Look," She pointed, and he looked. "The bag of seeds is leaking. He's left us a trail. We can follow it, and see where he is. You've got me curious now, I _have_ to know." She said, in a way that told him she was going anyway.

They both glanced at the grocery bag.

"Don't you have a family to feed?" Tai-Lung asked her.

"Eh, they can wait." She shrugged.

_O~O~O~O_

"I know this place," Tai-Lung had insisted on carrying the grocery bag for Kai, as they walked along. "We used to come here every month for a picnic."

"Nice place." Kai admitted, because the flower-filled meadow really _was_ pretty. In the centre of the meadow was a _massive_ tree and, it was at the foot of this colossal plant, that they found Aiguo.

He held the mostly empty bag of seeds in his hand, and was calling up to the tree: "Koko, come down, please!"

"Koko?" Kai repeated, glancing at Tai-Lung who looked just as confused as she did.

They marched up the small hill towards the tree.

Aiguo turned as the two older people approached, and was immediately on the defensive. "Why are you here?" He asked. "How did you find me?"

"It wasn't hard to do, little brother, you left a trail yourself." Tai-Lung pointed out, and Kai threw a handful of seeds down onto the ground.

Aiguo glanced at the almost empty bag of seeds, and blushed angrily. "Yeah? Well, who cares?" He tossed the bag onto the ground. "Go away." He added, sullenly.

"Who's Koko?" Kai wanted to know, hands on hips. "Tell us." She added, a little more softly.

Aiguo looked at the ground. "She's…she's my pet." He said, finally. "I rescued her from some bad men, and I've been taking care of her ever since."

"_That's_ why you keep stealing food." Tai-Lung realised.

"She _needs_ me." Aiguo protested. "She's going to have babies and she's hurt her leg, and can't defend herself yet." He pointed to a rope ladder that lay at the foot of tree. "She can't climb very well, either, so I kept her in that tree and used the rope ladder Dad made years ago. But, somebody pulled it down, and now I can't get to her."

Kai and Tai-Lung exchanged a glance, and Tai-Lung set down the bag of groceries. To his brother, he said: "Why didn't you come to me for help? Or, Mum and Dad? We would've listened…"

"No you _wouldn't_ have," Aiguo said, swiping at his eyes with the back of his hand and brushing away a few tears that threatened to leak out. "You guys are also _busy_ with work and, besides, Koko's not supposed to be here…she's from far away…"

"Because you stole her." Kai said flatly. She did feel a sense of affiliation with this Koko, because she too was not supposed to be here. Kai was gazing up at the tree, and then she said: "Tai-Lung, you guys are all Earthbenders, aren't you?" He nodded. "Can't you just Earthbend a platform or something up to the tree to get to Koko?"

Tai-Lung shook his head. "Not without uprooting the entire tree. It's old and unstable, it's been here since Ba Sing Se was first built." He explained. "This whole entire meadow's like that." He added.

"But what about Koko?" Aiguo exclaimed.

"Aiguo…" Kai said thoughtfully. Years on a military ship had sharpened her mind to come up with a new plan immediately if the first one failed. "How good are you at climbing?"

_O~O~O~O_

Aiming carefully with her bow, Kai shot an arrow into the leaves of the tree, and they all heard the thwok as it hit the wood of branch.

"You did it!" Aiguo exclaimed, as Tai-Lung tested the weight of the rope that was attached to the arrow, and declared it strong enough to support Aiguo's weight.

Grinning, the young kid began climbing the rope, while his brother and Kai watched him in silence. He swung hand-over-hand up the diagonal rope disappeared into the mass of green leaves.

The seconds ticked by until, finally, Aiguo called: "Okay, I got her! I'm coming down now!"

"Be careful!" Kai called, despite herself, and saw Tai-Lung grin as Aiguo slid into view, holding onto Kai's own waist sash as he slid down the rope.

When he was safely on the ground, Kai asked him: "Okay, where is she?"

Aiguo was cradling something inside of his robes and, as he handed Kai her sash back, he said: "You have to promise not to tell anyone, okay?"

"Why?" Tai-Lung and Kai asked at the same time.

Aiguo looked annoyed. "Just promise, okay? Or else you can't see her!"

"Okay, fine, we promise!" Kai threw her hands up in frustration. "Just tell us what the big deal is, already!"

"Aiguo, why can't you tell Mum and Dad?" Tai-Lung asked his little brother, who was unwrapping a small bundle from his robes. "Why did you have to keep Koko a secret?"

"Because she's a long way from home." Aiguo said quietly, finally holding out the creature to be seen.

It had a long body covered in reddish-brown fur, and short black legs. Its light face had light tear markings, robust cranial-dental features, a black mask and white eyebrows. Its head was round with medium-sized upright ears, and a black nose. Its long bushy tail had alternating red transverse black rings which ended in a black tip at the end of the brush. Koko looked up at the strangers with beady black eyes, before trying to lick at a bandage on her left front paw.

"She _is_ a long way from home," Kai breathed, and saw Tai-Lung glance her way. "_Her_ home, that is." The Firebender said quickly, as Aiguo stopped his pet from savaging her own leg. "Anyway, I don't think she'd eat seeds. She'd probably eat insects and small bits of meat and stuff." She was gazing at the Fire Ferret with a new source of comfort. Here was someone who was like her, with child (well, in Koko's case it was probably multiple childs) and from the Fire Nation, so not supposed to be here. Here was someone who had someone to take care of her now, even though she'd been hurt in the past. She was going to be okay. It filled Kai with…hope.

"I can help you talk to Mum and Dad about this," Tai-Lung was telling his brother. "No one will care that Koko's from the Fire Nation – I can assure you I'll make _sure_ of that." He promised.

"Really?" Aiguo looked up at his brother. His brown eyes had lost that guarded look. They were _shining._ "Thanks, big brother!" Tai-Lung coughed and glanced pointedly at Kai. Aiguo blushed. "Oh, right…sorry for trying to steal your groceries," He said, as Koko chirped conversationally. "And…for calling you fat…and…,well, anyways, thanks, you know…for helping out…" He smiled at her.

"Don't worry about it," Kai replied, smiling back at him. "You're not actually half bad. You know, for a kid." She shrugged.

"Well, _you're_ not half bad either," Aiguo admitted. "Even though you're, like, half a person when it comes to height, what happened did they squash you into a wooden box when you were a baby?"

"You are so arrogant!" Kai cried. "I just _totally_ saved your ferret's life, you ingrate!"

"Don't do me no favours!" Aiguo stuck his tongue out at her. "There are plenty of _tall_ people out there with bows and arrows! How old are you anyway, _twelve_?" He taunted her

"You take that back, you impudent little brat!" Kai lunged forwards and grabbed Aiguo's ears, pulling them outwards. "I'll box your ears for you!"

"Ow, let me go, you monster!" Aiguo shouted, as Koko twittered, her bright eyes curious at all the commotion.

"You should learn to respect your elders, you got that you ratbag? !"

"Shorty!"

"Smart-mouth!"

"Hot-head!"

"Lying thief!"

As Kai argued with Aiguo, and Tai-Lung and Koko simply observed the antics, Kai realised: _There's a Zuko born in every nation, isn't there?_

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

**The Tale Of Sokka – The Battling Poets**

Sokka walked down a candle-lit street at night, playing with his boomerang. He threw it up into the air and caught it.

A sound caught his ear – girls in a nearby building appeared to be speaking in unison and, intrigued, Sokka crept closer to hear them through the window, ignoring a man struggling with his Ostrich-Horse in an alley nearby.

"Through all the long night, winter moon glows with bright love, sleet her silver tears." The girls all wore beautiful robes and headdresses. The student speaking onstage looked pleased with herself, as she read from her scroll.

Sokka sighed, and a dreamy look came over his face. "Ahh. Poetry."

The Ostrich-Horse behind him suddenly kicked out, hitting Sokka and sending him flying through the window and into the class.

The girls all gasped in surprise.

Sokka was hanging from the window, part of the frame around his chest. He started to apologize, pulling himself into the room and falling onto the stage.

"I am so sorry. Something struck me in the rear. I just…wound up…here?" He blinked in surprise as the girls all giggled and clapped, and then looked quite pleased with himself.

The woman at the far right of the group stood up, clapping softly but also looking quite stern.

"Five, seven, then five. Syllables mark a Haiku." She (Madame Macmu-Ling) bowed her head to him. "Remarkable oaf."

Sokka gave her an annoyed look, and thought things over for a moment before he smiled. "They call me Sokka. That is, in the Water Tribe." He counted the next five syllables on his fingers. "I am not an oaf."

The girls all giggled again, but Macmu-Ling was far from impressed.

"Chittering monkey," She intoned. "In the spring he climbs treetops. And thinks himself tall."

"_Ooooh_." The students all said.

Sokka understood. This lady was insulting him. Well, he would show her!

"You think you're so smart. With your fancy little words. This is not so hard." Sokka crossed his arms and smirked.

"_Ooooh_!" The students were all very impressed.

"Whole seasons are spent." Macmu-Ling walked up onto the stage with Sokka. "Mastering the form, the style. None calls it easy!" She admonished him.

"I calls it easy!" Sokka informed her. "Like I paddle my canoe." He turned around and paddled his behind once. "I'll paddle yours, too!"

The students all laughed at this.

"There's nuts and there's fruits," Macmu-Ling told him. "In fall the clinging plum drops, always to be squashed." As she said this, she withdrew a plumb from her sleeve and dropped it to the ground, where she stepped on and squashed it.

Sokka taunted her. "Squish-squash, sling that slang." He was becoming more and more comfortable with this. "I'm always right back at ya! Like my…" He withdrew his boomerang from his back and held it in front of Macmu-Ling's face. "Boomerang!"

The student all laughed, as Madame Macmu-Ling looked annoyed but left the stage and sat back down again.

Sokka sheathed his boomerang and turned to face the crowd of students again. "That's right, I'm Sokka! It's pronounced with an "okka"! Young ladies, I rocked ya!"

The students were silent this time, all giving him annoyed looks.

Counting on his fingers, the young warrior realised why. The last line had contained _six_ syllables – that was one too many!

A large security guard with an earring suddenly grabbed Sokka's collar and picked him up. "Uh, that's one too many syllables there, bub."

He tossed him outside.

Sokka hit the ground with a thud and sat up.

He groaned, holding his head. ."Poetry…"

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

**The Tale Of Zuko – The Flame Of Hope**

At Pao's teashop, Zuko and Iroh were working the late-shift, because Kai was feeling unwell that evening.

Zuko approached his Uncle. "Uncle, we have a problem," He said quietly and, for just a second, Iroh nearly panicked. Had Zuko found out that it was Kai who had gotten everyone to start calling Iroh's nephew 'scar-face'? He descended the ladder from where he was stocking the shelves. "One of the customers is on to us. Don't look now, but there is a girl over there at the corner table. She knows we're Fire Nation." Of course, Iroh turned to glance at the very attractive brunette sitting in the corner of the shop, sipping tea. Zuko made his Uncle turn back around. "Didn't I say don't look? !" Zuko hissed, as his Uncle grinned at him.

"You're right, Zuko." Iroh said, still smiling. "I've seen that girl in here quite a lot." He nudged his nephew. "Seems to me she has quite a little crush on you!"

Zuko was stunned. "_What_?" To be perfectly honest, he had never even _looked_ at another girl since…well, since _her_…

Zuko suddenly jumped, because the girl from the tea shop had suddenly appeared at the counter. "Thank you for the tea." She handed Zuko a few coins. He took them and turned away. "What's your name?" She asked him, smiling.

Zuko turned back to her, looking slightly awkward. "My name's Lee." He replied, and then added: "My Uncle, cousin and I just moved her."

The girl's eyes lit up from this piece of information. That pregnant girl _wasn't_ a threat to her! "Hi, Lee." She said. "My name is Jin. Thank you, and, well, I was wondering if you would like to go out sometime?"

Zuko was stunned. With a completely non-aggressive show of assertiveness that Emma could have never pulled off, this new girl was asking him out on a _date_! What would Emma say if she were here? What should _he_ say? !

Iroh had the answer, however. "He'd love to!" He couldn't very well have said _no_. And, also, he was thinking: _Zuko needs to remember how to interact with girls other than Karai…_

Jin was thrilled. "Great! I will meet you in front of the shop at sundown!"

_O~O~O~O_

Standing out in the street that night, Zuko now had to admit that he felt utterly ridiculous. He was dressed in a very handsome green outfit, and had his usually messy hair combed and parted.

Jin suddenly appeared at his side, startling him.

"Hey." She said, by way of greeting. "Well, look at you." She reached up and mussed up his hair back to normal again. "You look so cute!"

"It took my Uncle ten minutes to do my hair." Zuko told her, not in an unkind way.

_O~O~O~O_

Dinner was, decidedly, uncomfortable.

"So, how do you like the city so far?" Jin asked him.

"It's okay." Zuko replied.

"What do you like to do for fun?" Jin wanted to know.

"Nothing." Zuko admitted.

What great conversationalists they were.

The waiter came over and addressed Zuko. "Excuse me, sir. Would you and your girlfriend care for dessert?"

"_She_ is not my girlfriend!" Zuko yelled angrily.

Everyone in the restaurant stared at him, including a very short girl wearing a wide-brimmed hat. Zuko narrowed his eyes over at the familiar pregnant young lady (who appeared to have made a miraculous recovery), before turning back to Jin, who appeared not to have noticed anything was amiss.

Zuko tried to find something to say to her. "You have…quite an appetite for a girl. You're not pregnant, are you?" He asked, thinking that usually only Kai ate this much.

Over at her table, the pregnant girl in question choked on her water.

"Um, no," Jin responded awkwardly. "So, Lee, where were you and your relatives living before you came here?"

Zuko cringed. "Um, well, we were travelling around for a long time…"

"Oh!" Jin smiled. "Why were you travelling so much?"

"We were, uh, part of a travelling circus." He fabricated.

"Really?" Jin sounded interested. "What did you do? Wait, lemme guess, you…juggled!"

Over at her table, Kai watched as Zuko nodded. "No, no, don't _agree_ with her, you idiot," She whispered, and then groaned softly as Zuko agreed, at Jin's persistence, to demonstrate his (non-existent) juggling skills for her. "Don't do it, I've seen this kinda thing before, oh, there you go…" She started laughing as Zuko failed miserably.

Jin, however, didn't laugh, but just smiled gently. "Come on, I have something I _really_ wanna do…"

"Where are they going?" Kai wondered, starting to get up but, just then, the baby decided to kick her. "_Or_ not…" She groaned, sitting back down again quickly. _Looks like you're on your own, scar-face…don't be unfaithful…_

_O~O~O~O_

"What's this?" Zuko asked, surprised.

"This is one of my favourite shops," Jin explained, as they wandered between the aisles. Rows and rows of colourful masks in every shape and size decorated the place. There were animal masks and people masks and plants masks, in all different colours, too. "Ever since I was a little girl." She picked up a flower mask, and smiled at it.

Zuko examined the mask closest to him, which was decorated to look like a brown bear. It reminded him of the mask Emma had worn at the Pohuai Stronghold. Sure enough, it was next to an angry-looking blue mask.

Suddenly, he realised that Jin was standing next to him, and very close.

"Thanks, Lee," She smiled at him. "I had a really great time tonight and, well, I have something for you." She held out two small pieces of paper, which she handed to him.

"What's this?" He asked, surprised.

"The Star Festival, it's in a few days time." Jin explained. She swept her arm out behind her. "And, it's a masquerade, so everyone has to wear a mask. You have to have a ticket to get in, however. My Mum knows someone in the Middle-Ring, so she got us some tickets. One of those is for you, and you can also bring someone else along with you. I hope you'll come with me, though…as…my date?" She asked hopefully, and then she leaned towards him.

Zuko quickly draw a piece of paper and held it in front of her lips.

"I brought you something too." He told her. "It's a coupon for a free cup of tea. Sorry there's only one."

Jin took the coupon. "Lee, this is so sweet." She said sincerely.

Zuko stepped back a bit. "Don't thank me. It was my Uncle's idea. He thinks you're our most valuable customer."

"Your Uncle is a good teacher." Jin replied.

"Yeah, that's what Emma said, too." Zuko recalled, before he could stop himself.

Jin hesitated. "Emma?" She repeated, and looked at Zuko. "Was she…? _Is_ she…?"

Zuko paused, and then nodded ever so slightly. "Maybe…I don't know where she is right now, though." He felt ashamed. He hadn't wanted to admit it, but he'd wished that he was spending this night with _Emma_ instead…

"You're still in love with her, aren't you?" Jin guessed, softly but in a very matter-of-fact way, so that it almost wasn't a question.

Again, Zuko nodded.

"I see." Jin sighed. "Well, thank you for putting up with me this evening…I hope it all works out for you. I'll see you at the Star Festival." She turned and walked quickly out of the shop, nearly bumping into Kai, who was waiting outside.

_O~O~O~O_

Zuko and Kai walked back to the apartment a few minutes later.

They were silent, until Kai dared to ask: "Did you buy a mask?"

Zuko nodded, and showed her the red fox mask he had gotten for himself.

"Nice," Kai peered into the bag. "Hey, wait, did you buy two masks?" They had reached home by that stage and, instead of answering her, Zuko continued on. "Well, _did_ you?" She called after him, as he stomped into his room and slammed the door shut.

Iroh looked over at Kai. "How did it go?" He asked.

"I think it went alright," She shrugged. "He seems…preoccupied, though…"

"Yes, I thought he might be." Iroh sighed. "Still, I'm glad he had a good time…"

Inside his room, Zuko heard this and, he too, sighed. The moonlight reflected off the two masks on his desk, the red fox and the blue round-eared cat laying side-by-side together…

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

**The Tale Of Momo And Yang-Chong – Two Flames**

When Momo awoke from his nightmare, Yang-Chong was there. The blue-eyed phoenix cooed softly in his musical tone to the lemur, but then he himself jumped at the clap of thunder that could be heard. Both of them leapt into Sokka's greenEarthKingdombag and, when they re-emerged, Yang-Chong had a piece of white fur in his beak. Momo looked at it for a moment, and then pulled it out of the phoenix's beak gently.

Both creatures examined it and then realised that it belonged to Appa.

Momo chattered, and Yang-Chong answered him with a soft chirp.

Momo then tied the fur around his leg, and took flight into the sky when he thought he saw Appa's shadow, but it was just a cloud. Aang had made that same mistake before.

Yang-Chong took one look outside at the rain, and ruffled up his feathers as if to say: No way.

He settled back in for another nap instead, dreaming about his missing mistress and how they used to boil tea together and she would sing to him. His favourite song was: _Wings Of Fire_. He missed her so much, it almost hurt.

_O~O~O~O_

Momo was saddened. His search for Appa was not going very well. He'd mistaken things like cloud shadows and white trees leaves for his buddy. The lemur's ears drooped. Where oh where could Appa be?

He flew down to a deserted street and landed on a water barrel with no lid to take a drink.

His long lemur tail accidentally knocked over a stick that fell to the ground with a thud, alerting three Pygmy Panthers of the lemur's presence.

They tried to catch him, and he tried to fly away but one swatted him clean out of the air. Momo decided to run on foot after that.

The panthers chased him again after awhile, but soon all four of them were captured in a net.

_O~O~O~O_

Yang-Chong opened his eyes, startled. He'd been dreaming about Emma's song to him, and suddenly…he could _hear_ the song in real life!

Crowing almost triumphantly, he spread his wings, and took off into the skies, glad that the rain had now stopped.

Was she here? Would he _finally_ get to see his beloved mistress again, after all these weeks?

Just then, he caught sight of a cart moving through the streets of the Lower-Ring. In a cage in the back of the cart was…Momo!

Yang-Chong gave a cry of alarm and, though he didn't really wish to give up his search, he arced downwards, heading towards the cart which had pulled up out the front of a butcher.

As Yang-Chong landed on the top of the cart, and was horrified by the sight of the butcher's produce, Momo managed to free himself from the cage, and then stopped to rescue the three Pygmy Panthers, too!

The butcher shouted out a warning, and Yang-Chong immediately and very bravely flew right into the butcher's face, clawing and pecking in order to give Momo and the panthers time to escape.

The butcher suddenly grabbed Yang-Chong around the neck, and slammed him down onto a chopping board.

He picked up a large butchers knife, and was about to behead Yang-Chong, when a little boy with a red ferret on his shoulder suddenly ran into the butcher with force, causing him to let go of Yang-Chong who flew out of the shop immediately.

The young boy shouted something at the butcher that Yang-Chong couldn't hear, and then hurried to catch up with the phoenix.

_O~O~O~O_

Momo, meanwhile, didn't know how close Yang-Chong had just come to ending up like Headless Mike.

The three panthers were very grateful to Momo for saving them, and then one of them noticed the white fur tied around Momo's leg. The black cat detached the bison fur with his teeth and took of running.

Momo called to him, alarmed and upset, and then he and the other two panthers followed. The ran through the streets of Ba Sing Se, until they reached a hole in the ground where the panther left the piece of fur for Momo to find.

As the three panthers took off, Momo realised what they had been leading him to – this hole was in fact Appa's footprint.

Momo lay down in the footprint, clutching the piece of Appa's fur to him…

_O~O~O~O_

Yang-Chong landed on the edge of a wooden barrel, as the boy who had saved him approached him slowly, smiling.

The pregnant Fire Ferret jumped off of her master's shoulder, chirping in a friendly way to the phoenix.

Yang-Chong responded by ruffling up his feathers, and then cooing, a question.

The Fire Ferret whistled in reply, before jumping down from the barrel and streaking off across the pavement as fast as her pregnant body would allow her to go.

Yang-Chong and the boy followed her, until they all reached two young people talking as they sat by a fountain.

One was a Dai Li agent, and the other was a pretty girl with long dark brown hair who appeared to be singing.

The Fire Ferret leapt up onto the girl's shoulder.

Yang-Chong flapped his wings to stay in midair, realising that he had _not_ been hearing his mistress singing. Of course – Emma's voice was prettier than this girl's. But…that song was from Emma's world, so maybe this girl had met her? !

Yang-Chong chirped anxiously, another question, and the Fire Ferret responded with a slight mewing sound.

The girl glanced at the phoenix, and then whispered something to the Dai Li agent. He nodded, and mentioned a location.

As soon as Yang-Chong heard it, he turned and took flight, nearly clipping the younger boy with his wings.

Flying through the rain now, Yang-Chong found the location, but only Momo was there, curled up inside a large footprint.

Yang-Chong crowed sadly. But…there was proof. Emma and Appa had _both_ been here.

They were in Ba Sing Se, but…where?


	37. Ba Sing Se – City Of Destinations

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Ba Sing Se – City OfDestinations

_Flying through the rain now, Yang-Chong found the location, but only Momo was there, curled up inside a large footprint._

_Yang-Chong crowed sadly. But…there was proof. Emma and Appa had both been here._

_They were in Ba Sing Se, but…where?_

_O~O~O~O_

Four Weeks Ago...

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I awoke to the sound of people talking – no, shouting – and I struggled to open my eyes. I was lying down on something made of wood, and it appeared to be something like a boat...ah, a sand sailer.

I suddenly heard Appa roaring in anger, and remembered what was happening.

_The library was sinking, Toph was trying to hold it up, and...Appa and I got kidnapped!_

My heart thudded painfully in my chest, shooting adrenaline straight into my veins as I opened my eyes fast and got to my hands and knees.

What I saw was a group of men, trying to tie Appa to a giant stag beetle using some ropes. He was struggling, and they were shouting. Nearby, I saw the people responsible for mine and Appa's capture, and one – Gashuin, I remembered – was holding a small ornate chest, no doubt of gold.

Outraged, I looked back to Appa, and saw that he was still struggling with his captors.

"_Stop_!" I shouted, and everyone – including Appa – stopped what they were doing and looked at me. "What are you doing to Appa? ! Let him go!" I jumped off the sand sailer and was running across the sand towards Appa, who was now struggling to get free again, when a hand grabbed my shoulder.

I turned quickly to find that it was Gashuin, and he was flanked by two more Sandbenders. I realised that the other guys were the 'beetle-headed' merchants who were supposed to sell Appa to a circus!

"Let me go!" I cried, straining to get free, but Gashuin had a strong grip.

"I thought you said she'd be out for awhile!" Gashuin said to one of the other Sandbenders, struggling to hold onto me. He'd given the money chest to someone else, and now used his other hand to grab _my_ hand – my injured one.

I cried out in pain, as tears sprang to my eyes. "Let me go!" I yelled, still trying to get to Appa, as the Sandbenders dragged me back to the sand sailer. "Appa!" I called to him.

One of the beetle-merchants suddenly approached us, and the Sandbenders stopped, giving me an opportunity to try and break free again. Gashuin practically had to wrap his arms around me to keep me from escaping.

"Hmm," The beetle-merchant looked me up and down, seeming to..._appraise_ me? "How much do you want for this one?" He asked Gashuin, who froze.

I was even more outraged than I had been before, if that was even possible. "What the – I am _not_ some piece of livestock to be auctioned off, do you hear me? ! When my friends find out about this, you'll be – !" Gashuin suddenly clapped a hand over my mouth, cutting me off mid-sentence. "Mmhmm-hmmm-mmhmm!" I was positively _livid_. I supposed the fear hadn't really set in yet, since I knew that, somehow, Appa would be fine. I wasn't really worried about me yet. I just didn't want to get separated from Appa.

"This one's not for sale," Gashuin explained, ignoring my attempts to bite him now. "She's coming with us."

"Really? She seems a little too high-strung at the moment." The beetle-merchant remarked. "Not too bad looking, though. Where exactly were you planning on taking her to?" He wanted to know.

"Well..." Gashuin began but, just then, Appa began roaring and struggling again, rocking the sled he was tied to back and forth. I remembered now that it was because he had just heard the bison whistle.

I went still, thinking about how much Aang and Appa were going to miss each other, and how much I was already starting to miss everyone. First I had left Prince Zuko, and now I was separated from the Gaang as well. I didn't even have Yang-Chong anymore.

A tear slid down my face, as I pictured all of my friends in turn.

Zuko and Iroh, Kai...Aang, Toph, Katara and Sokka...Momo and Yang-Chong...

I had never been on my own in this world...and I wasn't about to start now. I just realised then that I _needed_ my friends, even if they didn't need me...

As the Sandbenders were departing, with me onboard, and Gashuin remarked that Appa was the beetle-merchants' problem now, I took a deep breath and, focusing on my chi, which was now active (for some reason) because I'd been thinking about my friends, I managed to pull away from Gashuin and jump from the sand sailer.

"Stop her!" I heard somebody shout, and the Sandbenders sent an arc of sand around behind me to cut off my escape.

I responded by swinging my arms back around and, despite the pain it caused me, I was able to draw up some water from some nearby pots, to turn the sand into mud.

I then ran back towards where Appa was, calling out to him.

He was struggling now, his huge light brown eyes focused right on me.

I suddenly noticed the man with the shirshu spit dart, about to shoot Appa with tranquilizers!

"_No_!" I screamed, running at him and hitting him with a roundhouse kick to his middle. "How dare you try and do that to Appa!"

A second man suddenly grabbed me from behind, pinning both my arms to my sides and causing me to cry out again when my injured hand was rough-handled.

"Put them both under!" One of the beetle-merchants ordered. I heard him say to someone else: "She's ours now, Sandbenders! You lucked out!"

As something sharp struck the side of my neck, I heard my captor say: "We've gotta get rid of them now – they're too much trouble!"

"I know a place that will take them both..." Somebody said, as my vision started to fade.

I was let go of then, since I wasn't going to be much of a threat, and I understood it was because I'd been tranquilized, albeit with a smaller dosage than Appa had just had shot into him.

"A...ppa..." I said, my voice thick and slurry now, as I tried to stagger across the sands towards him.

He groaned when he saw me, but was unable to move because of the ropes binding him and the tranquilizers now flowing through his system.

I stumbled, and then fell backwards onto the sand, disorientated when the sand suddenly became the sky.

Upside-down, I saw the beetle-merchants approach me and then, beyond them, on the horizon, I saw a giant mushroom cloud of sand.

"I'm sorry..." I whispered, before I blacked out.

_O~O~O~O_

I awoke the second time around to someone pressing a cool cloth to my face. It felt good on my forehead, which had been battered by the sand, and I was grateful for it.

"Thanks, Katara..." I murmured.

"Sorry, hon," Said a strange voice that was definitely _not_ Katara, and I opened my eyes and sat up fast, nearly head-butting the woman who was leaning over me...wait, it wasn't a woman...

I stared at the cross-dresser for a moment, before looking around me, wildly. I was in a tent of some sort, one that had bright, sparkly costumes hanging up _everywhere_, and sketched posters of people and animals. I turned back to the person. "Who are you? Where am I? Where's Appa? !" I asked him (her?), my voice rising.

"Relax, hon," The man (yes, it was definitely a man) said, soothingly, trying to calm me down. "My name's Ai. I'm a performer here at the Sun Yat-Sen Circus, and it's my job to help new arrivals like you." Ai had very long light brown hair and reddish-brown eyes. He wore lots of make-up, and a feminine red robe. I had no problems with that – it was what he'd _said_ that bothered me.

"Circus?" I repeated, and he nodded. "New arrival?" I blinked.

Ai's red painted lips curved upwards into a smile, and he stood up. "That's right, hon, and we've got a lot of work to do before tonight's performance! You and the wind buffalo will _both_ be appearing onstage tonight, so we have to get you ready!" He hurried away to scour through the racks of sparkly costumes.

"What? I can't _perform_!" I was indignant, and started to get out of the cot I was lying in, until I realised that I was just in my under robes. I drew the covers up around my chest, and said: "You must have me mistaken with Ty-Lee, because I _can't_..."

"Ty-Lee?" Ai reappeared from behind a row of dresses, carrying something sparkly and white in his arms. His eyes were sparkling much _more_ than the dress, as he came back over to me, looking thrilled. "You know her? Where is she now? Is she alright? We haven't seen her since Princess Azula came and asked for her help!" He sounded excited, and I realised instantly that _this_ was Ty-Lee's circus! Huh. I wonder if she knew the evil animal trainer?

I considered this for a moment. "Uh, Ty-Lee...brown-haired girl, an acrobat, uses chi-blocking and has a really bubbly personality in strong contrast to Azula?" Ai nodded eagerly. I sighed. "Yeah, I've met her. She's doing fine...she nearly killed me with her attacks..." I murmured.

"What was that?" Ai asked.

"Uh, I said, she _really_ _thrilled_ me with her _antics_..." I lied. I took a look at the costume Ai was holding out for me. "_Oh no_, noooo way am I wearing that thing!"

Ai rolled his eyes. "You should've seen the _other_ costume they picked out for you, hon. Here," He laid it down on the side of my cot. "Hurry up and get dressed. We've gotta start rehearsals soon!"

"_What_?" I exclaimed, as he hurried towards the tent exit. "Ai, wait, I'm not a circus performer! I can't go onstage!"

"Don't worry," He called back to me. "You'll pick it up _really_ quickly!"

"But I don't _want_ to!"

_O~O~O~O_

That evening, Ai led me across the circus grounds, towards the big red tent. I had eventually resigned myself to doing this, only after I'd made a promise to myself to free Appa at the very first given opportunity.

As I walked, people's heads began turning and, feeling self-conscious, I wished I had my fan with me. Actually, the only thing I still had of mine was my under-robes and my jewellery. Even my choker around my neck was cold comfort to me, as I tried to avoid the men's stares.

I was wearing a sparkly blueish-black leotard trimmed in light blue sequins, which had a silver chiffon skirt attached to it. On my feet were black slippers that laced up my ankles, akin to ballet shoes. On my head was a blueish-silver tiara – knowing the Fire Nation, it was probably _real_ silver...

Ai had done my make-up for me and, I had to admit, I looked _good_. I had blue eye shadow painted across my eyelids, something like mascara on to accent the shape of my eyes, pink blush and a lot of sparkly blue lipstick. Ai could do makeup better than most _girls_ could, and I told him so.

"Thanks, hon." He'd said. He'd made no effort to learn my real name – nobody had – and I felt better knowing that they wouldn't know who I was when I escaped with Appa that evening. Even though I had a bandage around my wrist, I was confident now that I could Waterbend (or Earthbend) if I had to. Actually, I _did_ have to...

The routine I'd been working on that afternoon with Ai had been, basically, some stylized Waterbending, complete with lots of glitter and raised platforms.

The owner of the circus (the old guy who ends up having to let all the animals loose at Azula's insistence) had come in to oversee the rehearsal, and had seemed pleased with my, what he called, natural skills. Ai had told me that people from the Fire Nation weren't used to seeing Waterbenders, and that seeing me would be a real show for them.

Yeah. Thanks a lot for that, Ai.

I wasn't looking forward to performing onstage, but I had no other choice. If I wanted to help free Appa tonight, then I _had_ to be up there when he was. I'd fool them all into thinking I was alright, and then I'd turn on them and use Waterbending to help Appa and me to escape.

It was fool-proof.

Well, except for the fact that they'd given me hardly enough water to bend. I stared in dismay from behind the curtain at the donut-shaped dishes of water that surrounded each of the three platforms I could jump between. I'd honestly expected them to trust me with _more_ water during the actual performance, but _noooo_...

When the lights in the circus tent dimmed, Ai gave me a little push from behind.

Taking a deep breath, I walked out into the darkness, and climbed up onto the middle of the three platforms, which were arranged in a triangle shape. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest from nerves, and I closed my eyes and tried to reassure myself that everything would be okay.

"Ladies and gentlemen," The ring master's voice cut through my reverie, and I tried to control my breathing to calm myself down. I _hated_ performing onstage. I got really nervous just _talking_ in front of strangers, let alone _performing_. "We have precious rare gem from the far reaches of the world, a truly amazing performer here with us tonight! I give you," The lights came on again, very slowly. "Ocean Girl!"

The crowd 'oohed' and, in a moment of bewilderment, I wondered what Katara would've said if she'd found out that us Waterbenders were 'precious rare gems'. I also thought that the name Ocean Girl would've fit Katara more, because she looked like that girl from the show with the same name...

I took a deep breath, and held my hands out in front of me. _Just pretend you're practicing your bending with Aang and Katara..._ I thought to myself, raising my palms slowly upwards and summoning the water to me in long streams.

I heard the crowd 'oooh' and wondered: _Are they saying that because its cool, or because they've never seen a Waterbender before? Just remember what you're fighting for..._ I thought, with gritted teeth, and then I began to move.

I swirled the water around me in streams, letting it follow the movements of my body as I went through some martial arts sets, although I'd modified them to look more like dancing. I twisted and turned, occasionally solidifying the water into ice, only to shatter it into glass crystals that sparkled in the lights, and then liquefied them again. My hair, which had been washed and then brushed, was set in a style that reminded me of, well, Ursa's. It was tied into a top-knot, but more of it hung down to my shoulders. My hair wasn't as long as hers, though.

The crowd 'ooohed' and 'aaahed', sounding totally mesmerised by something I realised they had never really come to understand.

As my performance went on, I started to relax and, when I glanced briefly over my shoulder, I saw the ring master and Ai both looking relaxed and smiling also.

On a moment of inspiration, I began to sing:

"_I've looked everywhere I can  
>Just to find a clue<br>Oh to get to you  
>And make you want me<br>And I've run circles around the sun  
>Chasin' after you<br>Oh but it's no use  
>Can't you see that I'm going out of my mind<br>Trying to find a way to get through to you  
>Oh you don't know how hard I try<br>And I try and I try  
>What do I gotta do<em>

_Do I gotta get water from the moon  
>What do I gotta do<br>To make you love me  
>Do I gotta turn the sand into the sea<br>Is that what you want from me  
>I've done everything that I can do<br>But get water from the moon_

_I've reached high up in the sky  
>Tryin' to steal the stars<br>Oh to win your heart  
>But even that's not enough<br>And I've searched every book I know  
>Just to find the words<br>Oh to touch your world and get some love out of you  
>I've already given all I can give<br>And I don't know what's left to try  
>And I try and I try<br>What do I gotta do_

_Do I gotta get water from the moon?_

_Love me, how do I make you love me  
>How do I make you see that I'm going out of my mind<em>

_And I try and I try  
>What do I gotta do<em>

_Do I gotta get water from the moon  
>What do I gotta do<br>To make you love me  
>Do I gotta turn the sand into the sea<br>Is that what you want from me  
>I've done everything that I can do<br>But get water from the moon..._"

My heart was filled with anguish as I sang this, because it made me think of Prince Zuko. Did he hate me now? Did he know he was the first boy I'd ever kissed? Did he even _care_?

As I finished up the song, and my performance, I threw the water up into the air and, instead of solidifying it, I went the other way, and it mixed with the light to create a shimmering rainbow, much to the crowd's amazement.

I lowered myself back into a bow, placing one foot behind me in an extravagant gesture. My right hand was throbbing like crazy now, but I ignored it and just left the arena, to be swept up into a huge hug by Ai.

"Hon, that was so _beautiful_!" He gushed, sounding close to tears. "You are a _true_ performer, an absolute _star_!"

"Okay, right, let me go, please!" I said, and he set me down again, and we both turned around as the lights dimmed again.

The ring master said: "Ladies and gentlemen, now something _truly_ special!" We watched as he created a pair of flames from his palms. "A noble beast so magnificent and rare, it hasn't been seen by human eyes in generations!" He created a fiery flash to his left. "I give you the Wind Buffalo!"

The curtain dropped to reveal Appa, looking both dejected and ridiculous in an outlandish circus get-up. His face was painted in a clown fashion, and most people in the crowd laughed at this.

"Appa..." I whispered sadly, as he entered the centre ring, to be joined by the animal trainer.

"Up." The cruel man ordered.

Appa shook his head and turned in a complete circle, as the crowd twittered with laughter.

"Up, you insolent cow!" The trainer commanded, creating a whip of fire and cracking it on the ground right near Appa's feet. Appa roared at him in defiance, and I realised that my fists were now clenched.

"Run away!" A little boy in the crowd shouted. "Get away from him!" His Father pulled him back into his seat.

The animal trainer used his whip to coax Appa skywards, and the crowd was amazed. They cheered as Appa began a series of aerial acrobatics through the flaming hoops that were suspended from the tent's top.

"Incredible." Ai breathed, and then he looked down at me. "Hon, what's wrong?"

"This isn't right." I whispered back, my eyes focused on the poor flying bison. _Appa..._ I thought, upset by all this.

As he passed through the second hoop, his costume caught on fire and, remembering that Appa was now afraid of fire, I pushed past Ai and into the centre of the ring, where there was still some water left from my performance.

"_Appa_!" I shouted, bending the water up to put out the fire of his costume, and then I extinguished the flames on the other hoops. "_Go on, get out of here_!" I shouted to him, and he roared, obviously torn.

Just then, I felt a burning, scalding hot pain sear around my injured wrist, and I screamed in pain as the fire whip burnt through the bandages around my wrist, scalding into the skin.

The animal trainer was furious. I sank to my knees in pain, struggling to break free. Tears cascaded down my face, making my make-up run.

"_You have no right to keep him here_!" I shouted, for the entire circus tent to hear. "_He belongs with Aang_!"

Above me, Appa roared again, and swooped down to try and save me, as the ring leader sent a wave of fire towards him.

"_No, Appa_!" I screamed. "_Get out of here! Go find Aang!_"  
>Appa roared again, a call of distress and inner-pain.<p>

"Go..." I whispered, pain overcoming me as I fell to the floor of the circus tent, and the cruel animal trainer finally let me go. "I'll be fine..."

"Get back here, you stupid beast!" The animal trainer yelled to Appa, who paid him no heed, and the last thing I heard was the sound of the tent top being ripped open, and Appa flying his way to freedom...

_O~O~O~O_

I seemed to spend half of my life unconscious, I reckoned, as I opened my eyes groggily to find daylight streaming in through a barred window...wait, bars?

I opened my eyes all the way, and immediately felt the pain in my wrist.

"Aurgh..." I whispered hoarsely, drawing my wrist up to my chest, which was... "What the hell?" I gasped, realising that I was dressed in barely my under robes. I could still feel that my choker was around my neck, which comforted me, until I realised that my only good arm, plus my ankles, were chained to a wall. The chains were made of what looked like pure gold, but that didn't really help me feel any better. "Oh no..." I whispered, panicking immediately setting in, as I looked around at what appeared to be a prison cell. There was only one door in the room, and not much else.

I had no idea where I was, or how I had gotten here, or what was about to happen.

_That_ was scary.

I'd always prided myself in having a good scope on this life because, let's face it, I'd already _seen_ the key parts of this story anyways. But here...here I was alone...I'd only seen the story that affected major characters in the story, and now...

The wooden door to the cell suddenly opened, and I looked over as a man came in.

He was clearly Fire Nation, with a cruel-looking face and scarlet eyes.

"So, you're awake." He stated, folding his arms.

"Who are you?" I demanded to know. My voice only shook slightly, and lost some of its tremor as I got more and more angry. "Where am I? What do you _want_ from me?" I asked, angrily. "Let me out of here!"

The man stepped forward and, with a quick movement, kicked me in the side, causing me to cry out in pain and shock. "You will speak to me with respect, little wench!" He spat, glaring down at me. "I bought you from that miserable circus, and you're _mine_ now!"

"I don't belong to _anyone_," I informed him, nearly feeling sick from pain. "Let me out of here, _now_!"

He chuckled, somewhat darkly. "Oh-ho, I _don't_ think I'll be doing that," His red eyes raked over my body, very obtrusively. "You see, I have _plans_ for you, little one..."

I gulped. _That_ didn't sound too good. I remembered how Gashuin had been talking about selling me to a harem...could this be even _worse_ than that?

"I won't do it!" I snapped, my throat feeling very dry now. "Whoever the hell you are, you won't get away with this!"

I was answered with another kick, this time to my shoulder, which began to bleed. What, was this man wearing steel-capped boots or something?

"Every time you disrespect me, this is how it's gonna be." The man said simply. "Though, you didn't cry out in pain this time...how disappointing..." He grabbed me by the back of my hair, forced me to sit up, and then slapped my face, hard. It reminded me of the time my Mother had hurt me in a similar fashion and, for that reason, I didn't make a sound. "Come on, where's the screaming?" He punched me in between my shoulder and my neck, and I bit my lip so hard that it bled. "You will learn to get used to me." My captor smirked, throwing me back onto the floor, where my head hit the ground hard.

I gulped, feeling tears leak out of my eyes. Through the unbelievable pain, I managed to say: "I'd rather stand-off against Azula again..."

Something sharp hit the side of my head, and I blacked out. _Again_.

_O~O~O~O_

The next couple of days were torture beyond recognition. Every time I spoke out of line and, let's face it, I did that quite a bit, I was punished. I was kicked, punched, slapped, thrown around and sometimes even cut. I was just thankful that this man didn't seem to be a Firebender. I was hardly fed or given water, although when I was my hands and feet were bound extra tight, to avoid me bending the water at all. I was forced to eat from a bowl like some kind of an animal, which prompted _more_ anger from me and _that_ subsequently led to punishments. When I needed to use the bathroom, I was led out of the cell and into a small bathroom area, where I was chained to another peg on the wall, and my captor – whose name I did not know and didn't care to know – would wait just outside the door for me. It was painful, humiliating and frightening, and I wondered what I had done to deserve this.

The turning point came when my captor decided to move in for what I thought might be the kill. He grabbed me by the neck, and the chains around my ankles tore from the wall, cutting into and bruising my skin. He dragged me down the hall to a bedroom and threw me onto the bed.

My insides turned to ice, as I realised what was about to happen. I've seen one too many episodes of _SVU_, and I knew what was coming next. My mind wandered back to a day onboard Zuko's ship, so many months ago...

_Iroh said carefully: "If that were to happen then…you would be Zhao's, to become what he sees fit…"_

_"Oh my God…you mean…?"_

_Iroh nodded._

_My hands holding the tea cup began to shake. "Oh my God…" I repeated, my voice barely above a whisper. "I…I just got here, and now…my worst fear…" I closed my eyes._

_"It is terrible that such a young lady must be burdened with such a fear," Iroh said, understanding what my murmurs meant. "But, know this," Something in his voice made me look up at him. "My nephew will fight against Zhao with all his strength. He has something to prove against Zhao."_

Zuko...

My eyes snapped open, as my captor grabbed my shoulders and started to get onto the bed to lie over me.

Taking a deep breath, I cried: "_I'll never give myself to anyone but Zuko_!"

I kneed my captor hard, in the place where it hurts most, and sent him flying back across the room.

He landed with a crash against the wall, as I got up, and ran for the door, wincing with each step as my injuries pained me.

When I reached the hall I turned right and ran, heading towards a door that I thought must lead out. I pushed through it, and could hear my captor running after me, closing the distance between us as I ran from the house, and then stopped in dismay.

The house of hell appeared to be on a small island, and was facing a sheer cliff face. The waves churned beneath me, and I was just about to bend them up from the rocks below, when something sharp pierced into my shoulder – a blade.

My captor grabbed my other shoulder, punching me in the face with a lot more force than Mai had that other time, and threw me to the ground.

Standing over me, wearing a look of absolute fury. "You _will_ learn respect," He told me, and stepped on my left ankle hard, breaking it. This time, I couldn't hold back my scream of agony. "And suffering will be your teacher."

I was dragged then, by my burnt wrist, to a metal post, where my chains were retied around it. The blazing sun beat down on me as I looked up at my captor, through the blood coming from my forehead and flowing down my swollen eyes.

"Three days out here without food or water should break your spirit, wench." The man said smugly, before he turned and limped back into the house, leaving me to my fate.

_O~O~O~O_

**Suki's P.O.V:**

As the other warriors and I gathered red berries from the trees, Pai-Li noticed masses of white fur hanging from their branches, and took them off. "Must have been some fight." She mused.

"Wait, let me see that..." I gasped, coming forwards quickly to take the clumps of white fur from her. "No...it _couldn't_ be..."

I left the other warriors and followed the trail of destruction through the woods. Climbing up a bluff, I discovered the source of the devastation at the top.

"Huh? Appa?" My heart thudded in my chest. "Oh no..."

He was ragged and bleeding, lying in the shadow of the entrance to a mine.

Creeping closer, I noticed that he also had chains around him.

He backed up, growling.

Whatever he had been through, it had traumatized him to this point. My heart went out to him.

I stopped, and knelt down, placing the fruits and berries I had just collected there on the ground.

"It's gonna be okay, Appa." I reassured him. "I have to leave, but I am gonna be back soon with help."

I was gonna need my fellow warriors to help me with this one. This could be our most important mission yet...

_O~O~O~O_

**No One's P.O.V:**

Appa was suspicious of the girls at first, but then Suki stepped forwards slowly and identified herself, and Appa let her and the others girls help him. They freed him from his chains, treated his wounds, and fixed up his fur so that it was no longer matted.

They were almost finished, when a bolt of blue lightning felled a tree nearby. Appa looked about, anxious.

Azula, Mai, Ty-Lee and Zhu rode out of the hills on the backs of Mongoose-Dragons, and confronted the Kyoshi Warriors and the bison.

"My, my, you're easy to find." Azula held up a clump of Appa's fur before tossing it aside. "It's really astounding my brother hadn't captured you yet." Looking at the golden-haired Zhu, she added: "I'll show you _my_ true power..."

Not only that, but Mai and Ty-Lee were showing off their skills as well, quickly disarming and defeating the other warriors.

Mai said: "You're so colourful, it's making me nauseous."

Ty-Lee's hands flew to her hips. "You're _not_ prettier than we are!"

And, Azula discovered that Appa was afraid of fire. She remarked that this was how it should be.

Watching the battle unfold before her, Zhu sighed and shook her head. "She still has a lot to learn." The priestess whispered.

Appa, realising that Suki was in danger, was instantly reminded of Emma. He didn't want another person who had helped him to get hurt, so he doubled back.

Seeing this, Suki grabbed a burning branch and waved it, knowing that Appa was afraid of fire. "Get out of here!" She shouted. "You have to find Aang! We'll be okay!"

Appa was torn, but eventually his fear won out and he flew away.

Suki was relieved, until she was attacked by Azula again.

"Don't you know that fans just make flames stronger?" Azula asked, as Suki whipped out her war fan.

"Azula!" Zhu finally stepped into the battle. The golden-haired woman brought her hands together, and a yellow light surrounded them. "Let me show you _my_ true power..."

Azula stepped back, smirking. "Be my guest, Zhu..."

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

Three days turned into five, and then a week. Luckily, I managed to keep myself sustained by drinking rain water on the one day that it rained, and eating...bugs.

Sorry bugs.

My captor came to check on me each day, to see how my spirit was going and, each time, I ignored him, and he would leave me where I was.

My injuries had seemed to all meld together into one, until the pain was just a numb blur all over my body. My throat was parched, I was either tanned or sunburned, and I was thankful for the overcast days, so I didn't look like a lobster.

I was starving and drained, both physically and mentally. I was bored and in pain, and could hardly even move.

At nights I slept, but I was always awoken by every little sound. I worried that it might be my captor at first but, eventually, I stopped worrying, or even caring.

I was convinced that I would never see my friends again, and the thought saddened me. They didn't know where I was or what I was going through, and that was probably I good thing. I could only _imagine_ Zuko's reaction if he found out, not to mention Katara's. I missed the hot-headed, Motherly Waterbender terribly, and fell asleep each night looking up at the moon and thinking about both Katara and Yue.

On the fifth night, I fell asleep looking at the moon, and ended up going into the Spirit World by mistake...

_O~O~O~O_

I walked through the Spirit World, which was designed to look like an oriental temple. I had my strength back in the Spirit World, but not my bending. At least I wasn't in any pain. I walked through the empty halls, and came out into a beautiful courtyard with a light rain falling from the endless sky.

A tall woman in pink robes stood with her back to me, and I went over to join her at the pond.

She was watching the black and white koi fish, but then she turned to me, and I gasped in recognition.

"Kwan Yin!" I bowed my head, recognizing the goddess of Mercy.

Her soft hands took mine, and held them protectively in hers. "My dear child," She said, sounding comforting and sad at the same time. "What in the universe have we done to you?"

I shook my head. "It's not your fault, Lady Kwan Yin. It's that horrible man..." Tears filled my eyes. "I'm so scared..." I admitted, and Kwan Yin put her arms around me.

"My child," She soothed. "Don't be afraid. We will protect you now...you are safe, here..."

"But...I want to go back..." I looked up at her. "My Lady, I _need_ to go back!" I pleaded with her.

"I'm afraid that may no longer be possible." Said a voice from behind me, and I turned to see a younger woman in red robes, with her dark hair tied up Nurse Joy-style.

"Who are you?" I asked her.

"My name is Tai Li-Jun, the Scarlet Phoenix," She replied, walking through the rain that did not seem to wet any of us. "I've been watching over you for quite some time...I'm...sorry about all that has happened. We brought you here."

I lowered my head. "Where are we?"

"We are in the Courtyard Of rain," Tai Li-Jun explained. "In theCelestialGardensin the centre point of existence."

I nodded, and then a terrible thought struck me. "Am I _dead_? !" I gasped.

Tai Li-Jun and Kwan Yin exchanged a glance, and then Tai Li-Jun said: "Not...yet."

I gulped. "What do you mean?"

"Your mortal body is weak, Emma," Kwan Yin explained, keeping her arms around me from the back. "You have suffered far more than anyone should ever have to suffer. You cannot survive for much longer."

"But...but, I _can't_ die!" I exclaimed, tears running down my face as I tried to make them understand. "Not yet, anyway! I have to get back to Aang and the others! I have to make sure they're okay, and help them win the war! I have to find Prince Zuko and..." I closed my eyes, letting the tears fall. "Tell him I love him. Even if he _hates_ me..." I sobbed.

My shoulders shook, and Kwan Yin held onto me comfortingly.

"He doesn't," She told me. "He really doesn't. He loves you, with all his heart even though it's troubled..."

"He does?" I whispered. "Oh my God, he _loves_ me...he really does..."

Kwan Yin squeezed my shoulders. "Yes..."

"Lady Mercy," Tai Li-Jun addressed the goddess. "Is there _nothing_ we can do?"

Kwan Yin sighed. "There _is_ something that can be done...however, I am not sure if..."

"What is it?" I cut her off. "What can be done? How can I go back? !"

"Emma, it is time I told you of your destiny," Kwan Yin traded a glance with Tai Li-Jun, who nodded and ran off, her scarlet robes swirling behind her like wings. "Come, let us walk..."

_O~O~O~O_

Time seemed to pass strangely quickly and, the next thing I knew, we were walking down a hall with beautifully painted portraits hanging from the walls on either side.

I stopped to examine one of them that I recognized. "This is Princess Ursa, Zuko's Mother!" I exclaimed, looking up at the beautiful face of the Fire Nation Princess.

Kwan Yin nodded. "You may also recognize the woman next to her."

I looked at the portrait of the Water Tribe woman, and gasped. "Katara's Mother! Kya..." I noticed that she had hair-loopies in this picture, and smiled. "But...what do they have in common, I mean besides their kids being involved in the war and everything...?"

"This is called the Hall Of Wanü, or the Hall of The Priestesses," Kwan Yin explained. "I am sure that you have heard this term before."

I nodded. "A lot of people seem to think that I _am_ one."

"They are correct," Kwan Yin responded, much to my amazement. "A Priestess is a powerful spirit medium with extraordinary powers. You must have noticed this things in yourself, my child."

"Well, yeah, I've started seeing ghosts and stuff, and I can walk through the Spirit World," I told her. "Oh, and I can bend two elements!"

"You are able to bend all four of them." Kwan Yin informed me, as we stopped by the portrait of a golden-haired lady. "But, more than that, you have your own _special_ power, your Priestess Power. The power of _wudang_."

"You mean, the pink light?" I asked, and she nodded. "Wait, _wudang_ is...?"

"The True Master Arts, and the enemy of _shaolin_, in spiritual terms." Kwan Yin replied. She gestured gracefully to some of the other portraits. "Every Priestess has her own particular power. Princess Ursa's is _dong wu_, or animals. Lady Kya's was _tien chi_, or weather. Their daughters, however, have different powers."

"Wait," I gasped. "Are you telling me that Katara and _Azula_ are Priestesses? !" I shook my head slowly. "Wow...there goes the neighbourhood..." I couldn't believe what I had just heard. "Is it always born from Mother to daughter?" I asked.

"Mostly. However," Kwan Yin said. "It is usually the job of the _Mother_ to teach her daughter the skills when said daughter becomes a teenager."

"So, Katara can't ever learn." I realised sadly. "What about Azula?"

Kwan Yin gestured to the portrait of the blonde woman. I'd never seen a blonde-haired woman in the Avatar World before. "The Mother can, if she wishes, appoint another person to become her daughter's mentor, if the occasion should arise that she becomes unable to teach her. This woman, Priestess Zhu, if the Fire Lord's trusted friend, but was also Ursa's best friend when they were young. Therefore, it seemed only natural that Ursa should choose Zhu for her stand-in, and this has come to pass."

"So, Azula's learning..." I realised, and then I asked: "Wait, what's Zhu's power?"

"_Zyr_," Kwan Yin responded. "The sun."

"Oh, Azula will _love_ that." I muttered. "I'll bet Azula's is something like _fire_ or _gold_ or something."

"No, _huo_ and _jin_ both belong to other women," Kwan Yin told me. "Only after three hundred years can a power be reborn into a new Priestess."

"Why are you telling me all of this?" I asked her.

"Because it is you destiny to become a Priestess, Emma," Kwan Yin responded patiently. "Your powers will be able to help you, but only when they are in _full power_ will they be able to completely save you."

"I'm not in full power yet?" I asked, and Kwan Yin shook her head. "So, how can I get to be in full power? I'm not ready to die just yet..."

"It takes years for a Priestess to reach her full power," Kwan Yin said gently, and my shoulders slumped. "However...you _may_ be able to obtain them _now_, but it will cost you..."

"What do I have to do?" I asked her.

"Come with me." She held out her hand and I took it.

_O~O~O~O_

Once again, time passed quickly and, suddenly, I was standing in a room full of glowing lanterns, with Kwan Yin, Tai Li-Jun and a woman I didn't recognize.

She had flowing white robes that were edged in blue in a sort of fade-out look, and masses of light brown hair pulled up on a loop that towered above her head.

She introduced herself to me as Qi-Feng, and instructed me to come into the centre of the room, where a blue stone basin sat.

I did so, and peered down into the blue water.

"Look deep into the basin, Emma," She said calmly. She had a very straight-forward attitude. "Should you choose to accept your powers now, this will be your fate."

I glanced at her doubtfully, and she nodded towards the basin.

Taking a deep (unnecessary) breath, I placed my face into the water, which swirled and bubbled around me, turning first from blue to green to red and then to white, and I looked on through the mists.

I withdrew my head from the basin, and looked at Kwan Yin, my face somehow completely dry.

"Was that me?" I asked her. The Lady Of mercy nodded. "But...what was I doing? I didn't quite understand...just that I..." I bit my lip, and trailed off.

"Do you still wish to receive your powers now?" Qi-Feng asked me. "What you saw is the cost. Should you choose to accept, then there will be no turning back." She held out her hands to me. "Do you wish to accept this course of events?"

I looked at them, and then at Kwan Yin and Tai Li-Jun. Their faces were expressionless.

I thought about all my friends back in the Avatar World, and of Yang-Chong, my guardian. I thought of the Fire Lord and his daughter, and of the destruction he could cause to the world if I didn't go back to help. I thought of Zuko, and my heart seemed to tingle in my chest.

Reaching forwards, I took Qi-Feng's hands in my own. "I accept." I said firmly and, at once, I was enveloped by pink light.

_O~O~O~O_

When the pink light cleared, I found myself standing in a deserted street. My head and mind were both cleared of any doubts. My captor was long gone, a storm had just destroyed and washed away him and his house. I was in Ba Sing Se, and I was supposed to walk until I found what I was looking for.

I walked slowly, limping and dragging my chains with me. I was still in a bit of pain, but the goddesses had done their job and taken away the most life-threatening of the afflictions. I was still in pain, however and that, coupled with my bloodied under robes, made for a very startling sight when I came across a store merchant and his cart.

He was stunned. "Ah...are you...uh, Miss?" I was reaching for something on the cart. "Are you...okay?"

I looked at him, one of my eyes black and blue from my beatings. I held up the red bear mask – _my_ red bear mask.

"How much?" I asked, my melodic voice barely more than a scratchy whisper.

"Uh...twelve gold pieces?" The merchant was still regarding me warily. "It belonged to a wanted fugitive, so...?"

I held up my left wrist, and the gold cuff around it glittered in the moonlight. "Can you get this off for me?" I whispered.

The merchant was now shocked beyond belief, but he reached over and, using metal-bending, was able to get the chains off of me.

He stared at them in wonder as I slowly turned and walked away, holding the mask in my hands.

"Uh, miss, are you alright?" The merchant called after me, sounding concerned.

I didn't stop, but just called out scratchily to him: "I ain't getting any _worse_."

Limping along like that, I let my sore feet carry me in the direction that I needed to go. Something told me that I'd been in the Spirit World for a lot longer than I'd expected. Almost a month had passed since I'd been captured.

I reached my destination, and sat down to wait.

I began to sing softly, in my weakened voice:

"_Wings of Fire, burning higher with the fire of love __  
>Wings of Fire, freely, flying high forever <em>

_We didn't wait a long time to glitter  
>Without sleeping, we go on repainting the seasons<em>

_Don't hesitate, keep stepping on the accelerator with all your heart  
>Without closing your eyes, even in the violent wind<em>

_Wings of Fire, burning higher with the fire of love  
>Wings of Fire, flying, hotter than the heartbeat<em>

_Wings of Fire, crossing higher to the end of time with you  
>Wings of Fire, we're reaching to the distant star<em>

_Just hearing your voice calms my feelings  
>We are happier than anything<em>

_Even when we continued to wander on the rail that flew  
>Your answer was gentle: "I'll never let you go"<em>

_Wings of Fire, burning higher with the fire of love  
>Wings of Fire, freely, flying high forever<em>

_Wings of Fire, we're going faster and higher  
>Wings of Fire, reaching, running across the sky..."<em>

When I'd finished up, I opened my eyes, to see a huge white shape flying towards me from the skies.

"That looks like..." I whispered. "It _is_...Appa!" I gasped, as the giant sky bison flew down from the sky, landing right in front of me.

With some degree of difficulty, I threw my arms around the front of his face, burying my face in his soft white fur.

"Appa..." I cooed. "Did you see Suki? Did you meet a guru? Oh, Appa..." I hugged him as tightly as I could.

Appa sniffed me with his huge nose, and then his gaze drifted past me.

He growled softly, a warning, and I turned to see a man walking towards us, one I knew must be...

"Long Feng..." I whispered, feeling weak all of a sudden.

With an Earthbending gesture, he caused the entire street section beneath Appa and me to revolve like a trap door, and the great Sky Bison and I fell into a pitch-black tunnel beneath the city...


	38. Take Off The Mask

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Take Off The Mask

_He was stunned. "Ah...are you...uh, Miss?" I was reaching for something on the cart. "Are you...okay?"_

_I looked at him, one of my eyes black and blue from my beatings. I held up the red bear mask – my red bear mask._

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

Aang and I rushed through the door, holding the posters in our arms. Half were lost posters for Appa and half were missing person posters for Emma.

We came in through the front door to find Sokka lying on his stomach on the floor, apparently intent on whatever it was he was sketching. Toph was reclining nearby, completely at ease.

As I watched, Yang-Chong was eating a handful of birdseed. Momo suddenly pounced on him, and the two creatures rolled around angrily, Momo trying to steal the birdseed.

"Don't make me come over there!" Toph said sharply, and Momo and Yang-Chong instantly stopped fighting and stood to attention. "Thank you." Toph closed her eyes.

"We found a printer to make our posters!" I called, holding up one of the posters. On it was an expert rendition of Appa, a smaller picture of Aang,and information like what to do if he was found and such. The poster for Emma was similar, with a sketch of her, and some information including her name, and we mentioned that she was a bender but not what kind. We figured she might use one or the other, and we didn't want to guess wrong.

"Hey," Sokka complained. "I thought designing the posters was my job! I've been working all day on my sketches!" He held up his drawing of…was that _Appa_? It looked…weird…

"Sokka, the arrow is on Appa's head." Aang reminded him, as I tried not to laugh.

"This _is_ his head!" Sokka explained, pointing.

"Why are feet coming out of it?" I wanted to know, taking the paper to see it better.

Sokka snatched said paper away. "Those are his horns!" He hung his head. "I haven't seen him in awhile, okay?"

From her spot on the floor, Toph said: "It looks _just_ like him to me!"

Sokka was flattered. "Thank you, I worked really…" He suddenly realised with whom he was speaking. "Why do you feel the need to do that?" He asked her, while she grinned away.

"I don't even want to _see_ the drawings of Emma…" Aang told my brother.

"Let's just stick to the professional versions." I suggested, and my brother tore up the drawing he was holding.

"Come on, let's get busy!" Aang cried enthusiastically, holding up a stack of leaflets. He was really excited for some reason, and seemed in good spirits. I supposed Ba Sing Se's atmosphere was getting to him or something but…I dunno…something just seemed to…make me _uneasy_ about it all…  
><em>O~O~O~O<em>

**Karai's P.O.V:**

"So, when are you due?" Jin asked me pleasantly, as I handed her the cup of tea.

I thought about it for a moment, and then said: "I'm twenty-eight weeks in." I patted my round belly.

She smiled. "I'll bet you're excited!" She looked past me, to where Zuko was tending to a customer. "So, umm, how's Lee going with…you know…?"

I shook my head. "Your guess is as good as mine – he's so bloody _stubborn_, even if she _was_ in Ba Sing Se he'd be 'umming' and 'aahing' over it, the idiot." I turned around, and Zuko glared across the shop at me.

"I hope it works out for them." Jin said simply. "Like it did for me."

"Oh?" I paused.

"Yeah," She smiled. "Tai-Lung and I have been going out for a week now. He's a Dai Li agent, and he's really _cool_."

I laughed. "Oh yeah, he is – good luck with taming his little brother too, Jin!"

We smiled at each other.

"Tai-Lung was saying they caught a rather peculiar person in the city the other day," Jin said suddenly, sipping her tea. "He was one of the agents sent to assist Long-Feng, if necessary."

"Really?" I was interested, although I was also watching Iroh talk to some well-dressed men. It sounded like they wanted to _buy_ him. "Strange how?"

"Well," Jin said conspiratorially. "Apparently she's been wanted by the Dai Li for quite some time now! She has a really great singing voice, too!"

"A singing fugitive?" I remarked dryly. "Sounds exotic."

Jin nodded. "She was singing a strange song, too. Something like this: _Wings of Fire, burning higher with the fire of love, _

_Wings of Fire, flying, hotter than the heartbeat,_

_Wings of Fire, crossing higher to the end of time with you ,_

_Wings of Fire, we're reaching to the distant star_…" She tossed her brown hair over her shoulder. "It's not a song I've heard before, but it's nice…strange, though…"

"It's a weird song." I agreed, although something was sparking my curiosity. "Hey, Jin, did Tai-Lung say anything _else_ about her?"

Jin sipped her tea. "Hmm, only that she was captured along with a big white creature, and they're holding them both inLakeLaogai…it's a beautiful spot in the agrarian zone of Ba Sing Se." She smiled.

"Hmm…" I said, glancing around me. "Excuse me, Jin." I hurried over to Iroh and the well-dressed men, plus Pao. "Actually, _I_ will be naming our new shop, plus sorting out all of the decorations and furnishings of it."

"Umm, who are you?" The businessman who had just offered Iroh a brand new tea shop in the Upper-Ring blinked.

"Kikyo," I bowed my head. "The one who adds the Mother's touch to the tea, and the one responsible for the more _delicate_ matters here."

The rich man bowed back to me. "Soon, you could be in charge of the delicate matters _there_." He told me.

I nodded. "I like your way of thinking, sir."

Zuko walked by us.

"Did you hear, nephew?" Iroh was excited. "This man wants to give us our own tea shop in the upper ring of the city!"

"That's right, young man," The rich businessman smiled. "Your life is about to change for the better."

Zuko walked towards the door. "I'll try to contain my joy." He said gravely, and walked outside.

"Freak." I murmured.

"I heard that."

"_Good_!"

_O~O~O~O_

**Sokka's P.O.V:**

"Hmm…" I examined my cards carefully, and then smiled at my sister. "Air-Seven." I placed the card down on the table

"Air-_Nine_." She smirked, and I groaned and drew a card from the pile.

"Aww, what, a Fire-Four? That means I need to get rid even _more_ cards!" I complained.

Just then, Aang, Momo and Yang-Chong burst in through the door, and joined us at the table.

"I just finished dropping all the leaflets!" Aang said. "Has anyone come in with news about Appa?"

"It's only been a day." Katara replied, placing a Water-Eight on the table to combat my Earth-Three. "Just be patient. "

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Aang jumped up. "Wow, you're right! Patience really pays off!" He rushed to the door and opened it. "Joo-Dee?"

It was the _original_ Joo-Dee, _our_ Joo-Dee…

"Hello Aang and Katara and Sokka and Toph." Joo-Dee wore her usual eerie smile. Yup, it was her alright.

We all joined Aang at the door.

"What happened to you?" I asked her, raising my hands. "Did the Dai Li throw you in jail?"

"What, jail?" Joo-Dee dismissed this. "Of course not. The Dai Li are the protectors of our cultural heritage."

"But you disappeared at the Earth King's party." Toph said.

"Oh, I simply took a short vacation toLakeLaogai," Joo-Dee replied. "Out in the country. It was quite relaxing."

I wasn't so sure that I believed her.

"But then they replaced you with some other woman who also said her name was Joo-Dee…" My sister explained.

"_I'm_ Joo-Dee." The woman told us, seeming a little bit surprised.

"Why are you here?' Aang wanted to know.

Joo-Dee pulled out one of the missing posters. "Dropping flyers and putting up posters isn't permitted within the city. Not without proper clearance."

I was annoyed. "We can't wait around to get permission for everything!" I told her. Finding our friends was more important than some old rules! We _needed_ Appa – _Aang_ needed Appa. It was hard to see one without the other. And Emma…well, I missed her spontaneity and her lovely singing voice…

Joo-Dee continued to grin cheerfully. "You are absolutely forbidden by the rules of the city to continue putting up posters."

But _oh no_, Aang wasn't going to take that, not for _one_ minute! His face turned red, and he shouted: "WE DON'T CARE ABOUT THE RULES, AND WE'RE NOT ASKING PERMISSION! !" He flailed his arms in outrage, and began backing a very alarmed Joo-Dee out the front door. "We're finding Appa _and_ Emma on our own and _you_ should just stay out of our way!" He slammed the door in her face.

Go, Aang!

Still…

"That _might _come back to bite us in the blubber." I warned Aang.

Aang was still glaring at the door. "I don't care." He said angrily, but firmly. From now on we do whatever it takes to find them."

Toph raised her arms in the air, and Yang-Chong crowed. "YEAH!" Toph shouted. "Let's break some rules!" She turned and blasted out a nearby wall with Earthbending.

We left through the front door, although Appa and Yang-Chong flew out through the new one, unawares that we were being spied on…

_O~O~O~O_

**Iroh's P.O.V:**

I was incredibly excited about this new opportunity. We were going to be moving into our new home straight away. It would be good to have my own tea shop – which was a dream come true for me – but, even _better_…Zuko and Kai wouldn't have to share a room anymore.

Plus, there was a spare room, for when Kai had her baby. I was also very excited about _that_. Things were _finally_ looking up for us…

I was packing things in a chest, and Kai was busy trying to figure out how we were going to transport a very tall antique vase I'd managed to win in a game of Pai Sho last week, when the door slid open and Zuko entered.

"So," I said to him. "I was thinking about names for my new tea shop." Kai coughed. "Uh, _our_ new tea shop. How 'bout _Jasmine Dragon_? It's dramatic, poetic, and has a nice ring to it."

Zuko held out a piece of paper to me. "The Avatar is here in Ba Sing Se. And he's lost his bison."

CRASH! !

Zuko and I both looked over, to see Kai standing by a pile of fragments that had once been a priceless vase.

"M-my fault entirely…" She apologized, and hurried from the room, looking distracted.

I took the leaflet from my nephew, and then regarded him intently. "We have a chance for a new life here." Zuko turned and walked over to the window. "If you start stirring up trouble, we could lose _all_ the good things that are happening for us."

My nephew spun around to face me, looking annoyed. "Good things that are happening for _you_! Have you ever thought that I want more from life than a nice apartment and a job serving tea?"

"There is nothing wrong with a life of peace and prosperity." I told him earnestly. "I suggest you think about what it is that you want from life, and _why_."

Zuko looked out the window. "I want my destiny." He said quietly.

"What that means is up to you." Zuko walked away from the window, and I suddenly had an idea. "The Tea Weevil!" I shook my head. "No, that's stupid."

"Names can be hard." Kai said, re-emerging finally. She was clutching a piece of paper in her fist. "Anyway," She walked over to Zuko. "I think I know where you can find what you're looking for."

"What?" He turned to look at her.

"My sources tell me the Avatar's bison is being held somewhere in the vicinity ofLakeLaogai." Kai replied.

"How do you know all this?" Zuko asked her suspiciously.

"He's a big white creature, correct?" She confirmed, and he nodded. "Well, let's just say he's not the _only_ one they've captured…" She handed Zuko the piece ofpaper she was holding. "They got Emma, too."

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

We all decided to split up to cover more ground when putting up posters (well, Toph went with my brother, for obvious reasons). I walked around until I came to an open square that had a stream flowing through it. As I was pasting another poster to a stone plinth, I heard a voice from behind me call my name.

I turned around, startled, to see Jet striding towards me. What was _he_ doing here? !

"I think I can help you." Jet said with a confident smile.

I was shocked and embarrassed at first, but then it instantly turned to white hot anger. How _dare_ he confront me again, after all this time! I could _never_ forget what he'd done to me back in the forest, how he'd tricked me into helping him destroy a town! Luckily, my brother had evacuated said town just in time, but I still couldn't forget – or forgive – Jet's way of playing with my heart like that…

I immediately swept a towering wave of water up from the stream behind me, and sent them crashing towards Jet, who tried to tell me that he'd changed, but I didn't buy it. Not this time.

The waves swept him back into an alleyway, and I ran after him, drawing up water from a nearby puddle, in full attack mode.

"Tell it to some other girl, Jet!" I snapped.

I froze the globe of water I'd created, and sent a barrage of ice spikes at him.

Jet whirled, caught off balance, but still managed to protect himself using his hook swords. Well, next time he _wouldn't_ be so lucky!

"I don't want to fight you!" Jet protested. "I'm here to help!" And, with that, he threw his hook swords down onto the ground.

I hesitated, unsure. Just then, Jet reached behind his back and, instantly, I wason guard again, and pinned him to the wall with a quick flurry of ice blades.

Just then, Sokka ran into the alley. He must've honed in on my predicament using Big Brother Radar. Aang and Toph were right behind him.

"Katara, what is it?" He asked me.

"Jet's back." I stated grimly.

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I glared at my captors, who pretended not to notice me until I said: "You know, if you weren't evil, dictating, brainwashing bad-cops, then you'd actually be quite good-looking. T"""I the rock-hand things – it's all very _mysterious_, very _powerful_. But, evil." I reminded them.

The two Dai Li agents guarding me glanced at each other, and then stood to attention as another man came in through the door.

I narrowed my eyes at him. He had his dark hair pulled back into a long braid, and a thin moustache that did not connect with his beard. He reminded me of a cross between Adolph Hitler and that evil guy from Mulan. I recognized him from the other night.

"Long Feng." I muttered.

"Hello, Emma," He said to me, stepping through the doorway and then closing it up behind him by using Earthbending. He walked over to the chair that I was tied to, and smiled calmly at me. "I see that you know my name and, from the sounds of it, quite a bit about my Dai Li agents."

"I know that you're forcing Ba Sing Se to live under a lie," I told him. "If anyone steps out of line, then you _brainwash_ them…is that why I'm here? Have you come to turn me into one of _them_?" My heart thudded in my chest – could I withstand brainwashing?

Long-Feng laughed softly and shook his head. "No, my dear, we have a _different_ plan in mind for you."

"Where's Appa?" I asked suddenly, looking away under Long-Feng's gaze. "What did you do to him?"

"The Flying Bison is fine," Long-Feng assured me. "He is being _well_ looked after."

"If by looked after you mean being used as _live bait_!" I snapped, and turned my glare back to the Dai Li leader. "You won't get away with this! You underestimate Aang and the others!"

"Perhaps it is _you_ who underestimates _us_," Long-Feng suggested. "But, then again, appearances can often be deceiving…isn't that right, little Priestess…"

I gasped, despite myself, and watched as Long-Feng's eyes lit up.

"Who told you?" I hissed angrily.

"_You_ did, just then." The man replied.

"But…how did you…what possessed you to come up with…?" I stammered.

"I've been doing a little research on your group of friends," Long-Feng told me, beginning to pace. "The Water Tribe siblings, one of which is the soul Waterbender of the South Pole. The little blind girl, the missing member of the Bei Fong family. And, of course, the famed Avatar. But you…" He stopped pacing, and came to stand behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders, carefully although I still winced. Even though I'd been fed and watered, I was still in a lot of pain. "Your past remains a mystery to us all. Where you're from, your family, your past…I was puzzled, until something your young Avatar friend said to the Sandbenders responsible for your current state…"

"Which was what?" I muttered.

"He yelled at them, told them off for selling a _Priestess_ to a harem…" Long-Feng told me. "It took awhile to piece together everything…but we now know who you are…" His hands came up around my neck, touching the red choker that was there. My red mask was at the back of my neck, attached there by a chord. "You come from another _world_…Emma…the Red Bear…an Earthbender…and, a Priestess…"

I was silent, the news washing over me like cold water. Aang knew that I was a priestess? How? Had he been reading the books? How did Long-Feng know about the legends? Wait…did he know I was from another world? !

"From your expression, I can see that you need a little time to think things over." Long-Feng told me. "You won't be going anywhere for awhile, so you should make yourself comfortable."

"Yeah, easier said than done, brainwasher." I murmured, wishing he'd let go of my neck, and then he did.

He walked over to one of the Dai Li agents, and muttered something to him. The agent nodded, and Long-Feng departed.

The two Dai Li agents approached me, looking slightly wary because I'd turned my glare onto them.

The one who Long-Feng had spoken to said: "Come. We'll take you to see the bison now."

"How do I know that's where you'll actually _take_ me?" I snapped.

"My name is Tai-Lung," The Dai Li agent put his rocky hand to his chest. "And I swear, on the very name of Ba Sing Se itself, that that is where we are taking you."

I looked at him for a second, and then nodded slowly. "Okay."

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

Despite all of my doubts and better judgement, I decided to relent and give Jet a chance when he told us he could help us find Appa. Besides, Toph was able to tell if he was lying or not, so we decided to trust her when she said that he wasn't.

However, when we got to the place that Jet had said we'd find Appa, it was empty!

I was about to attack him, when Toph exclaimed: "He was here!" She was holding a handful of white fur.

We all rushed to her, and Aang held the fur sadly in his hands. "We missed him…"

My heart went out to him. To be perfectly honest, I was really only trusting Jet for Aang's sake.

A janitor suddenly gave us some unexpected news – Appa had been taken toWhaletailIsland!

We all gathered around a map.

"Aang," I said, looking at the island in question. "It'll take us weeks just to get to the tip of theEarthKingdom. And then we'll need to find a boat to get to the island."

Aang said that he didn't care, that finding Appa was the most important thing to him right now.

Yang-Chong, perched on Toph's head, crowed softly.

"I know, Yang-Chong," Aang said, apologetically. "I miss her too. But, if it were a lead to her, I'd take it in a heartbeat. We have to work with what we've got…I'm sorry…"

Yang-Chong bowed his head.

"You're right, Aang." I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Right now, we have to follow the only lead we have. We can come back when we have Appa." _I'm sorry, Emma…I hope you're okay…_

Sokka stood up. "All right, let's get moving!" He set off.

Jet took a step forwards. I had actually forgotten that he was there. "I'll come with you." Jet said.

"We don't _need_ your help." I told him firmly, glaring at him for good measures.

"Why won't you trust me?" Jet asked me, before walking off after Aang and Sokka, who seemed fine with all of this.

"Gee, I _wonder_!" I snapped, turning away from him in frustration. Why were men so infuriating? !

"Was this guy your boyfriend or something?" Toph piped up from beside me.

"What? !" I gasped, startled. "No!" I looked away from her, blushing.

She could probably sense my blush, as she teased: "I can tell you're _lyyyyying_…"

I stormed away from her. What did she know? !

_O~O~O~O_

We walked down the street, with Jet walking alongside us. Grrrr…

"We can take the train out to the wall," My brother was saying. "But then we'll have to walk."

"Don't worry," Aang was cheerful. "On the way back, we'll be flying!" He beamed happily.

Toph was also happy, but for a different reason. "We're _finally _leaving Ba Sing Se!" She held her arms out wide. "Worst. City. _Ever_!"

I thought about when Sokka had said the worst town we'd ever been to had been the one where Aang had been considered a murderer. Emma had known what was going to happen, because of the stories from her world. She'd helped us out with defeating the Rough Rhinos, but she'd done it in disguise, and hadn't wanted to take any of the glory for it. I realised that I missed her a lot, and that not knowing if she was alright was worse than anything. Had she been sold to a harem? The thought upset me…

Just then, a familiar voice yelled out: "Jet!" And I turned in shock to see Smellerbee hurrying towards us.

As Jet continued walking, I turned to him angrily. "I thought you said you didn't have your gang anymore? !"

"I _don't_." He sounded bewildered.

We all watched as Smellerbee launched herself at Jet, hugging him with a look of relief on her face.

"We were so worried!" She exclaimed. "How did you get away from the Dai Li?"

I was shocked. "The Dai Li?" I repeated.

"I don't know what she's talking about!" Jet protested, as Longshot joined us, and we all drew closer to Jet and Smellerbee.

"He got arrested by the Dai Li a couple of weeks ago." Smellerbee informed us. Despite the fact that she was friends with a jerk like Jet, I liked this tomboyish, smart girl. "We saw them drag him away." She added, and Longshot nodded.

"Why would I be arrested?" Jet sounded confused. "I've been living peacefully in the city."

Toph knelt down and, like she'd done with the wall before, placed her palm on the street by Jet's feet. "This doesn't make any sense." She said slowly. "They're _both_ telling the truth…"

"That's impossible." I stated.

My brother, however, had a different approach. "No, it's not." He said thoughtfully. "Toph can't tell who's lying because they _both_ think they're telling the truth. Jet's been brainwashed!" He pointed his finger at Jet accusingly.

We all gasped. Brainwashed? How…why…where…by whom? !

"That's crazy!" Jet protested, as we all grouped around him. "It can't be! Stay away from me!"

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"Was what Feng-Long said true?"

I jumped, and looked behind me at Tai-Lung. "I beg your pardon?" I asked him, keeping my hands on Appa's nose as I petted him. Poor Appa. He'd been through as much hell as I had. He also seemed a lot calmer with me around, although neither one of us trusted these Dai Li agents.

Tai-Lung was the only one guarding me as I visited with Appa. He had his back to me, but addressed me as he said: "Feng-Long said that you were from another world. Is this true?"

"What do _you_ think?" I asked him. "I'm not even going to _answer_ you!" I rested my sore head against Appa's muzzle, and closed my eyes. I began to hum, and then sing, very softly. "_Woahh_ _ohhh  
>so sing it loud you hold the key<br>we're the rebels and we're free  
>woahh ohhh<br>it's time to burn all that you see  
>now the world belongs to me<em>

fight for all you know  
>when your backs against the wall<br>stand against the liars  
>stronger than before<br>when your life becomes a war  
>set the world on fire<p>

proud in all you are  
>showing every scar<br>as your badge of honor  
>when you can't take anymore<br>of what they're living for  
>set the world on fire<p>

…" I stopped singing suddenly. "Wait, what on earth am I _singing_? Stupid war…" I buried my face in Appa's white fur. "I want it to be over…" Appa nudged me comfortingly. I rested my head against his white fur. My burn on my wrist had been re-bandaged, and my wounds treated, but I was still in a lot of pain. I didn't feel like moving.

"You know some weird songs." Tai-Lung told me.

"I _like_ my songs!" I snapped. "What would _you_ know?"

"I heard you singing a song about wings of fire when Long-Feng captured you." Tai-Lung told me.

"Thanks for _reminding_ me, Mister!" I glared at him. "Glad you liked the music."

"My girlfriend liked it as well," Tai-Lung mused, glancing at me over his shoulder. "She was singing it the other night, and the Avatar's chicken came down to see her…"

"That's _my_ _phoenix_, mate," I told him. "He's my animal guardian, like Appa is to Aang. I can't believe you Dai Li are putting us all through this. You don't care about the world, you just care about the _lies_! Who _is_ your girlfriend, anyway? How desperate was she to want to date one of _you_?"

"We Dai Li agents protect the culture and history of Ba Sing Se!" Tai-Lung snapped. "Jin and I met by _chance_, and she doesn't seem to think I'm a bad guy!"

"She probably has no idea…wait, _Jin_?" I gasped. "Your girlfriend's name is _Jin_?"

Tai-Lung turned around to look at me. "You know her?"

I shook my head. "No, but…did she…do you know a guy named…L-Lee? Has a scar over his eye, fairly good looking?" I asked quietly.

Tai-Lung looked at me from beneath his hat. "Yes…Jin mentioned him, and his cousin Kikyo…why?"

_Kikyo? Who's that?_ "Lee…he's…oh my God, he's here, in Ba Sing Se…" I put a hand to my mouth, as tears formed in my eyes. "I can't believe it…him and Uncle…they're both _here_…"

"How do you know about their connection with Jin?" Tai-Lung asked me.

I looked at him through blurry eyes. "I'm a Priestess, remember?" I turned away from him. "If you had a _shred_ of decency, you'd let me and Appa go free. If Lee can remember who he is, no matter how things change, then you should at _least_ be able to do everything for the person you love."

Tai-Lung didn't respond. A moment later, I heard the door open and then close, and then Appa and I were left by ourselves.

"I hope we get found soon." I muttered to Appa, who nodded, and settled down for a nap.

_Could it be that Zuko and I, Tai-Lung and Jin all know one another? Could this connection be my ticket out of here?_

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

We were trying to find a way to jog Jet's memories, in the hopes that he would be able to lead us to the place that he'd been taken…perhaps it was where they had taken Appa and Emma…?

"Maybe Katara could kiss him." My brother suggested slyly. "That should bring something back."

"Maybe _you_ should kiss him, Sokka!" I snapped back.

Toph's suggestion was abetter one – that Jet should try to think of something from his past that triggered his emotions.

Smellerbee told Jet to remember what the Fire Nation did to his family.

He apparently did, because a moment later he said: "No! It's too painful!"

"Maybe this will help." I said, coming up with an idea.

I drew out a portion of my bending water as I stood behind Jet, and placed my hands on the sides of his head. The water began to glow.

"They took me to a headquarters under the water, like a lake." Jet said suddenly.

"Wait!" Sokka clicked his fingers. "Remember what Joo-Dee said? She said she went on a vacation toLakeLaogai!"

"That's it!" Jet jumped up. "LakeLaogai! They took Appa there, along with a brown-haired girl with a burn on her wrist!"

I froze. Emma? Burnt?

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I wore my blue mask, as I stood in the shadows of the street. This was the place…Kai had told me that Jin had told _her_ that Tai-Lung – Jin's boyfriend and a Dai Li agent at that – would meet me here.

I didn't trust this, but it was my only lead to finding my destiny…

A movement behind me made me turn sharply, and ready my duel swords quickly, in defence.

"Lee, it's me." The Dai Li agent said quickly, quietly. He kept his distance, and his composure, as he said: "Jin sent me."

I relaxed only slightly. From behind my mask I asked Tai-Lung: "Where have the Dai Li taken the Avatar's bison and the girl?"

"First, answer me this question," Tai-Lung stood his ground. "What are you going to do once you find them? Will you set them free?"

"My business is mine and mine alone," I responded sharply. "Tell me where they are." I pointed my sword at him threateningly.

"They're being held at our secret headquarters beneathLakeLaogai." Tai-Lung told me.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" I asked suspiciously. "Why are you helping me?"

"The girl, Emma, says that she knows you," Tai-Lung responded, and my heart skipped a beat. "Long-Feng has discovered her true identity – that she is a Priestess from another world, and he has plans for her after he's taken care of the Avatar. She said, and I quote, _if Lee can remember who he is, no matter how things change, then you should at _least_ be able to do everything for the person you love_. I know that Jin cares about you, and that you still have feelings for this Emma," Tai-Long's face was expressionless as he spoke, but his words spoke otherwise. "Ba Sing Se is living in a lie as we know it, the Dai Li has forbidden the war to be mentioned. I want what's best for this city and its people. However, holding a girl captive is _not_ what I'd consider to be at the city's best interest."

I stared at him for a moment, hardly able to believe what I'd just heard. "Does anyone else feel this way?" I asked him.

He shook his head. "I'd be punished if they found me here. You must go, now."

I nodded, and left quickly. I had many things to think about…

_O~O~O~O_

**Aang's P.O.V:**

Toph had opened up a secret tunnel leading deep beneathLakeLaogai. Below, we discovered a lot of creepy things that all added up to the Dai Li's conspiracy, but Jet was confident as he led us through some stone doors.

The doors slid shut behind us, startling us.

It was a trap…

The shadowy cavern was lit with green lanterns and, above us, the Dai Li were suspended from chains high above us.

Ahead, Long-Feng waited for us with several more Dai Li.

"Now that's something different." Sokka remarked.

"You have made yourselves enemies of the state." Long-Feng said grimly. "Take them into custody." He told the Dai Li, who surrounded us instantly.

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I approached the Avatar's bison, saying: "You're mine now." I had managed to find him, thanks to Tai-Lung's information, but there was no sign of Emma.

Just then, I heard a noise behind me, and spun around, readying my swords as someone entered the room behind me.

It was my Uncle.

"Uncle…" I was stunned.

"So, the Blue Spirit," My Uncle feigned puzzlement. "I wonder who could be behind that mask."

I removed the blue mask. "What are you _doing_ here?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing." My Uncle replied. "It took me _forever_ to get the story out of Karai. What do you plan to do now that you have found the Avatar's bison? Keep it locked in our new apartment? Should I go put on a pot of tea for him?"

"First I have to get out of here." I responded.

"_And then what_? !" My Uncle sounded angry. "You never think these things through! This is _exactly_ what happened when you captured the Avatar at the North Pole! You had him, and then you had nowhere to go!"

"I would have figured something out, if Emma hadn't turned against me!" I yelled angrily.

"_No_!" My Uncle sounded anguished. "If Emma hadn't defended the Avatar you would have been killed by the Ocean Spirit!"

"I know my own destiny, Uncle." I said gravely, turning from him.

"Is it your own destiny?" My Uncle asked me. "Or is it a destiny someone else has tried to force on you?"

"Stop it, Uncle!" I exclaimed, upset suddenly. "I have to do this!"

"I'm _begging_ you, Prince Zuko!" My Uncle pleaded. "It's time to look inward, and begin asking yourself the big questions! Who _are_ you? And what do _you_ want? !"

I let out a cry of frustration, and threw my swords and mask onto the ground.

Just then, a voice said from the shadows of the room: "You wanna know the _worst_ part about all of this?" A figure limped towards the light, which shone off of a familiar red bear mask. I froze. "The worst part is…I already _know_ how this is gonna end. But…" Emma shook her head. "That doesn't take away the pain…you frustrate me, Prince Zuko…you really, really, _do_…"

_O~O~O~O_

**Aang's P.O.V:**

When Long-Feng re-brainwashed Jet, the young warrior attacked me, and I didn't want to hurt him, but it was hard!

It was causing Jet pain, I could see, as I tried to plead with him, and he seemed to be trying to remember.

Suddenly, Jet turned and attacked Long-Feng, hurtling one of his swords at the Dai Li leader.

Long-Feng avoided it, at the same time he Earthbended a dangerous-looking rock at Jet, which hit its mark, and I watched the entire scene take place in shock.

The rock hit Jet, and I heard bones break and vital organs scream in protest and agony, and then Jet was thrown to the ground.

I was about to go after Long-Feng, but he vanished.

I instead moved to Jet's side.

"I'm sorry, Aang." He said weakly.

"Don't be." I sat beside him.

I knew that he was dying. I don't know how I knew it, I just did.

That was when the others arrived, taking stock of the situation instantly. Katara tried to heal him, but couldn't. She looked devastated.

"You guys go find Appa." Smellerbee said, clearly upset. "We'll take care of Jet."

"We're not going to leave you." Katara whispered.

"There's no time. Just go. We'll take care of him. He's our leader." An unfamiliar voice spoke, and we all looked at Long-Shot. It was the first time any of us had ever heard him speak.

"Don't worry, Katara." Jet told her, almost tenderly. "I'll be fine."

Katara looked anguished, but stood up with the rest of us and left Jet, Long-Shot and Smellerbee, who had tears cascading down her face.

"He's lying." Toph whispered.

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

Zuko and Iroh stared at me in shock, as I stood there in the shadows.

"You know what?" I said. "I've been through utter _hell_ in the past month. Complete and utter _hell_. So has Appa." The great bison growled in agreement. "We've been beaten, burnt and scared, and we just want to find some peace and quiet – is that too much to ask for?" I finally stepped out of the shadows, and watched Zuko's expression as he took in my wounds. The burns on my wrist weren't visible, but I could tell that he knew it had been damaged. "I want freaking _peace_, for God's sake. I want the world to live in _peace_, I want there to be order and harmony! I want to have a good life, where I can help people and be who I truly have to be!" I walked up to Zuko, and glared at him from behind my mask. "I wanted to be with _you_! I don't know how or why, but when I was in my own world, I wished to be with you! _That's_ how I got to come here – by wanting to be with _you_!"

Zuko was staring at me in shock. At last, he said to me: "You chose the Avatar over me…why him? Why not me?"

"Aang is the saviour of this world!" I snapped. "He's also like the brother I never had! He's one of my best friends, and nothing else! It's _you_ I want to be with!" I suddenly gasped. I couldn't believe I'd just said that.

Zuko was looking at me and then, slowly, he reached up to remove the mask on my face.

Appa growled, starting to get up, and Zuko froze.

"It's okay, Appa." I said to him, soothingly. "Despite everything, you can trust him. He's a _good_ person. He has a good heart and I know, because…I know his heart…I always will…"

Zuko's hands came up to my face and removed the mask slowly. I watched as his golden eyes stared at my bruised and battered face. He looked shocked for a moment, but then he said: "You know it better than I do."

He pulled me into a hug, and I felt a wave of serenity and affection wash over me…

_O~O~O~O_

**No One's P.O.V:**

As two masks, one red and one blue, slid beneath the waters of Lake Laogai, Kai stood in her new home in the Upper-Ring, looking out the window.

A sharp stabbing of pain suddenly shot through her chest, and she doubled over in agony and in anguish.

"Oh no…" She whispered, unaccustomed tears in her scarlet eyes now. "Jet…"


	39. Inner Struggle

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AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Inner Struggle

_Zuko was staring at me in shock. At last, he said to me: "You chose the Avatar over me…why him? Why not me?"_

_"Aang is the saviour of this world!" I snapped. "He's also like the brother I never had! He's one of my best friends, and nothing else! It's you I want to be with!" I suddenly gasped. I couldn't believe I'd just said that._

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

Zuko and Iroh stood on either side of me, watching as mine and Zuko's masks vanished beneath the waters ofLakeLaogai.

I, however, was looking up at the sky, at the form of Appa that was slowly getting smaller. Around us was a scene of great destruction – a terrific battle had just take place here. My friends had been _that_ close by, and I'd missed them.

But…I was happy here, right?

I was suddenly feeling very weak and tired – my month-long ordeal had taken a lot out of me. I wasn't even sure I could continue to stay awake for much longer, but I didn't want Zuko and Iroh to think I was weak.

"Let us return home now." Iroh suggested, turning to go.

"Hey, what makes you think I'll be going home with _you_ guys?" I asked sharply, and they both turned to look at me. I crossed my arms when Iroh opened his mouth to speak. "And, _don't_ tell me it's because my ship has already set sail…" I added, nodding my head in the direction of the sun.

"I wasn't going to say that," Iroh put a hand on my shoulder, but withdrew it quickly when I winced. "I was _going_ to say that, while it is up to you where you go, _I_ would be happy if you came back with us."

"I know," I mumbled, wishing I had my choker to fiddle with – but I didn't. "I…missed you…you don't know how much I've needed your advice lately…"

"What _happened_ to you?' Zuko suddenly asked me.

I froze. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"I mean where have you _been_ for the past month?" Zuko snapped, glaring at me. "You weren't with the Avatar, because of this," He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, which he thrust at me. I couldn't really read it, but I recognized my name. It appeared to be a Missing Poster. "And, you _didn't_ end up like this," He pointed to my black eye. "By doing _nothing_. Where have you _been_?"

I glanced away. "I…"

"_Look at me_!"

"Are you gonna hurt me if I don't? !" I finally yelled. "Because, I gotta tell you, the _last_ guy who did that ended up _dead_!"

"What?" Zuko whispered, sounding stunned.

"I…I don't want to talk about it." I whispered back. I started to walk away, and stumbled on my hurt leg. As I fell towards the waters of the lake, I felt two sets of strong hands grab me.

As I was blacking out, I _thought_ I heard Zuko say: "I always said _I'd_ take care of her…" But, I may have been mistaken.

All I could think was: _I hope the others are okay…_

_O~O~O~O_

**Aang's P.O.V:**

My happiness at _finally_ having Appa back could not even be put into words, so I didn't even try. I just hugged him as tightly as I possibly could, and told him I'd missed him more than he'd ever know.

We'd stopped on a tiny islet in the centre of the lake, far away from the Dai Li who had attacked us. If Appa hadn't come and saved us, Long-Feng would probably have had us killed by now. We knew it would only be a matter of time before they came looking for us, but we needed to stop for a moment.

Momo alighted next to me, clinging to the fur on Appa's massive brow. I laughed when Appa licked me off his brow, and I landed on the ground by the feet of my bison. _My_ bison. Nothing was ever going to take that away from us, and _no one_ was ever going to take him away from me again.

I heard Sokka, Toph and Katara talking about something in the background, but I was too focused on my reunion to really pay much attention, until Katara and Toph started talking about leaving Ba Sing Se.

"But," I spoke up, leaping into the scene. "Now that we have Appa back, there is nothing stopping us from telling the Earth King the truth about the conspiracy and the war."

"What about Emma?" Katara wanted to know.

I smiled. "She's safe."

"How can you be so sure?" Katara protested. "We didn't see her in there…"

"No," I said, and held something out in my hand. "But this was tied to one of Appa's horns." I held it up for all to see. "It's Emma's necklace." The yin-yang on the red ribbon glittered in the red sunlight.

Katara took the necklace from me. Yang-Chong hopped up onto her shoulder, and crowed sadly.

"What does it mean?" Sokka wondered.

"I think it means Emma was in there, and that she managed to free Appa." I explained my theory.

"Then, why didn't Shiny stay with him?" Toph wanted to know.

"I don't know…" I admitted. "But, she left her necklace with Appa for a reason. Maybe she has something else she needs to do."

"What could be more important than this?" Katara asked.

"It's not like she knew," Sokka reasoned. "Come on guys, it's like she _wants_ us to go to the Earth King and get this all straightened out once and for all!"

"Well," Katara said thoughtfully. "I guess if the Earth King knew the truth, things could change…"

Toph stood up. "I don't trust the new positive Sokka." She pointed accusingly at him. "Long-Feng brainwashed you, didn't he? !"

I glanced to my left, and suddenly noticed something terrible – threeEarthKingdomships were in the distance, but I knew that they would see us soon.

Katara and Sokka joined me at the water's edge.

"That's probably the Dai Li searching for us!" Sokka exclaimed. He looked at his sister. "So?"

Katara hesitated for a fraction of a second, and then nodded. "Let's fly!"

Of course, Appa didn't have his saddle on anymore, much to Toph's horror, and the others all clung to his fur, shouting at me to buy a new saddle at the next possible opportunity.

I said I would, but I don't think they heard me. And, it didn't really matter because, in almost no time at all, we reached the palace.

It was a massive complex in the centre of the city, and surrounded by a circular wall.

We realized that the King's chambers would probably be in the centre of the palace, and that we'd have to be careful – Long-Feng would've already told the King that we were coming.

Sokka didn't think so. "If you ask me," He said casually. "I think we're just gonna sail right in…AHHH! ! !"

As Appa dodged the massive flying boulder, Toph shouted: "What _was_ that? !" It reminded me of the time I'd wanted to land at a swamp, and Emma had been wailing about flying.

"Surface to air rocks!" Sokka shouted back, as more of the offending boulders sailed towards us. "AHHH! ! !"

The Earthbenders guarding the palace were attacking us – and we were going straight on in, anyway!

It was time to tell the Earth King _exactly_ what was going on around here…and out there…

_O~O~O~O_

**Iroh's P.O.V:**

I walked into the apartment ahead of Zuko, to open the door for him because he was holding Emma in his arms, bridal-style. I had asked him multiple times if he wanted me to take her, but each time he'd stubbornly refused, saying that it was _his_ responsibility. I was worried about them both now, Emma because of her injuries, and Zuko because he was in denial…and, he was about to run into an emotional struggle. I could sense it.

When I opened the door to the apartment, I was surprised to find Karai still up. She was sitting by herself at a table, with a cup of tea in one hand and her forehead resting in her other hand, which elbow was propped up on the table.

She turned her tired red eyes to me when I entered, and I was about to ask her what was wrong when she suddenly jumped out of her seat like it was on fire.

"What happened to her?" She asked urgently, and I half-turned as Zuko carried Emma into the house. "Holy spirits, Zuko, you were supposed to protect her!" Kai snapped, hurrying to the door of her room and sliding it open impatiently. "Get her into here, hurry! _How_ could you have let this _happen_ to her? !" I noticed that there were tear tracks on her face, which was pale and drawn. Had something happened?

I watched as Zuko wordlessly carried Emma into the room, and then re-emerged a moment later by himself. The door was snapped shut behind him, and we heard Kai say to him: "This is entirely _your_ fault!"

I looked at my nephew, who looked across at me.

"She's right." Zuko said simply, his voice suddenly very weak, and then he collapsed onto the floor.

"Zuko!" I rushed to his side, realizing now that the emotional struggle was just beginning…for both of them…

_O~O~O~O_

**Aang's P.O.V:**

We managed to break into the palace, but not at all stealthily. Rocks were hurtled, hordes of guards were broken through, walls were demolished and privacy was invaded (way to go, Sokka) and it was all in the name to get to the King.

At last, at _long_ last, we found what Sokka called an impressive door – they were clad in gold, and they were doubled.

Toph and I blasted through the doors with our bending powers, and all four of us ran into the vast chamber, which was lined with ornate pillars and lit by hanging lanterns.

The Earth King himself was seated upon a golden throne. He wore glasses, a simple crown and a necklace of jade beads, along with his long, royal robes.

Suddenly, Long-Feng and the Dai Li agents were between us and the King, and we all tensed for battle, if necessary.

"We _need_ to talk to you!" I called to the Earth King urgently.

Long-Feng immediately intervened. "They're here to overthrow you." He told the Earth King.

"No, we're on your side." Sokka protested. "We're here to help."

"You have to trust us." His sister added.

The Earth King stood up and, sounding annoyed, said: "You invade my palace, lay waste to all my guards, break down my fancy door…"

"We also _totally_ by accident walked into some random lady's room." Toph interjected.

"Not helping." Katara told her.

"And you expect me to _trust_ you?" The King raised an eyebrow. "If you're on my side, then drop your weapons and stand down."

Of course, we all obliged, and I said: "See, we're friends, your Earthiness."

The Earth King continued to frown. Long-Feng raised his arms and, suddenly, his agents shot their stone hands at us and effectively bound us.

"Detain the assailants." Long-Feng ordered, and the agents skated forwards to stand behind us.

"But, we dropped our weapons," Sokka exclaimed. "We're your allies!"

"Make sure the Avatar and his friends never see daylight again." Long-Feng said firmly.

The Earth King suddenly spoke again, sounding surprised. "The Avatar? _You're_ the Avatar?" He pointed at Sokka.

Sokka cringed. "Uh, no, _him_." He nodded to me.

"Over here." I easily escaped my bonds by using Airbending, raised my arms and then allowed the bonds to bind me again.

"What does it matter, Your Highness?" Long-Feng said to the King. "They're enemies of the state."

"Perhaps you're right…" The King sounded uncertain, though.

The King's pet bear suddenly approached, and sniffed at me before licking my face, and I giggled. The bear moved on to Toph, who just stood completely still and allowed the bear to examine Yang-Chong, who was wearing Emma's necklace around his neck like a collar. He sat on Toph's head and regarded the bear seriously.

"Yo." Toph said to the bear, who licked her face. "Yyyuck!" She muttered under her breath, looking disgruntled.

"Though Bosco seems to like them." The Earth King sounded amused, and then he sobered up. "I'll hear what they have to say."

Long-Feng, of course, wasn't pleased.

I approached the Earth King's throne. "Well, sir, there is a war going on right now." I didn't feel it was necessary to name names. "For the past one hundred years, in fact. The Dai Li's kept it secret from you. It's a conspiracy to control the city, and to control you." There, I said it.

"A secret war?" The King sounded dismayed. "That's crazy!" I could tell he didn't – _couldn't_ – believe us.

"Completely!" Long-Feng supported the King. The fiend…

Accusingly, I said: "Long-Feng didn't want us to tell you, so he stole our Sky Bison and kidnapped our friend to blackmail us! And, blackmail is the _least_ of his crimes, he brainwashed our friend!" As I said this, I glanced back at Katara. She hadn't exactly taken Jet's death well. I think she felt guilty.

"All lies." Long-Feng said, turning to the King. "I've never even _seen_ a Sky Bison Your Majesty." He glanced to the side. "Frankly, I thought they were extinct." He glanced over at Toph, and his eyes drifted up to the yellow bird perched in her black hair. I watched his eyes take in the red choker around Yang-Chong's neck, and narrow slightly. I narrowed my eyes as well. I hoped Emma had managed to get away after all.

The King was skeptical. He sat back, and said: "Your claim is difficult to believe, even from an Avatar."

That was fair enough. _I_ hadn't wanted to believe about the hundred year war, after being in the dark (literally) for so long.

Long-Feng whispered to the King, but we could all hear him. "These hooligans are part of an anarchist cell that my agents have been tracking for weeks. We were only able to capture their accomplice, however. If you listen to them, you're playing right into your own destruction."

Katara was outraged. "Don't say such things about E-" One of the agents covered her mouth with his rocky hand.

"I have to trust my advisor." The Earth King looked resigned.

As we were being led from the throne room, however, Sokka had an idea.

He turned around, inspired. "Wait, I can prove he's lying! Long-Feng said he's never seen a Sky Bison, ask him to lift his robe!"

Long-Feng was appalled. "What? ! I am not disrobing!"

Sokka and I exchanged a glance, and then I drew in a huge breath of air, and blew a powerful gust of wind at Long-Feng. It lifted up his robes, revealing the bite mark he had received from Appa.

"Right there!" I called out. "Appa _bit_ him!"

"Never met a Sky Bison, huh?" Sokka was smug.

Long-Feng pushed down his robes, and I could tell that he was only half pretending to be embarrassed. "That _happens_ to be a large birthmark. Thanks for showing everyone."

"Well, I suppose there's no way to prove where those marks came from." The Earth King mused.

"Of course there is!" Sokka exclaimed.

And, that was how Appa came to be standing in the throne room with us, towering over us all. I got him to open his mouth. To emphasize my point, I gestured to one of his massive teeth, before sliding over and pointing out the massive bruise on Long-Feng's leg. A perfect match! It had served the minister right!

"Yup, that pretty much proves it." The Earth King nodded.

"Yeah! Woo!" My friends and I shouted, pumping our fists into the air.

"But," The Earth King went on. "It doesn't prove this crazy conspiracy theory."

My friends and I slumped in disappointment. "Awww…" We complained.

"Though, I suppose this matter is worth looking into." The Earth King decided.

My friends and I all shrugged and gestured uncertainly. "Uh, okay, we'll take it…yeah…"

It was better than nothing, and Long-Feng was starting to look worried…

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

"You're burning up…" I heard my Uncle's voice speak to me through the fog. "You have an _intense_ fever…" A cool cloth was placed on my forehead. "This will help you cool down…"

"So…thirsty…" I felt like my entire throat was on fire. What was happening to me? I tried to sit up, and my Uncle supported me by the shoulders as I drank from a ladle, although I needed more and ended up draining an entire bucketful of water.

From somewhere far, far away, I heard another voice, a female voice say: "Emma…it's me…Kai…hang on, stay with me, Emma…" From another room, I heard someone gasp in pain.

"Em…ma…" I reached forward through the growing darkness, and ended up falling into the abyss. "Emma…"

_O~O~O~O_

**Karai's P.O.V:**

It was times like these I wished I was a Waterbender, like my patient was. She – and other Waterbenders – was just able to heal by harnessing their bending.

Then again, my Firebending came in handy, too. Emma was freezing cold. I had to stop multiple times when healing her wounds, in order to transfer some of my body heat to her. To do this, I would place my hand on her feet – the place where you lost and gained most of your body heat – and use my Firebending to direct a safe amount of heat into her body. It was hard work. She had so many cuts and bruises I didn't know where to start. Not to mention her broken bones and such. Whatever she'd been through, it had been hell. It looked even _more_ violent than what I'd been through months ago, and that was saying something…

Looking at her, however, I knew that it could just as easily have been _her_ who went through it, and I knew how close it had been. I wouldn't have wished it on her – or anyone – and I _wished_ she hadn't had to go through _this_.

"It's okay…" I whispered to her, as I examined the burns wrapped around her wrist. "You're safe now…"

"Z…Zuko…?" She stammered, her eyelids fluttering.

"No, but he's safe, too." I replied. "Emma…it's me…Kai…hang on, stay with me, Emma…" I said urgently, as she began to fall unconscious again. Her injured wrist grazed against side of my knee, and she gasped, her face paling as she fell unconscious.

My heart pounded in my chest. How could this have happened?

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

The Dai Li had managed to destroy their underground base beneath LakeLaogaibut, hey, no problem, _Sokka_ still had his positive attitude! We decided to take the Earth King to see the drill that was probably still embedded in the great wall. There was no way the Dai Li could cover _that_ up in time!

It took a little persuading but, eventually, we got the King to go, and he got a free ride on Appa.

"You know, Aang, you should really start charging admission for this kind of thing." My brother told the young monk.

"I think that's up to Appa." Aang replied, just as we passed over the top of the outer wall, and Aang pointed down excitedly. "It's still there!" He shouted.

"What is that?" The Earth King gazed in wonder down at the giant Fire Nation drill.

"It's a drill." Sokka explained to him. "A giant drill made by the Fire Nation, to break through your walls."

We landed upon the wall, and the King looked rather shaken. Poor guy…

Then, Long-Feng showed up and, though he tried to cover it up, the Earth King eventually believed _our_ side of the story, and even had Long-Feng arrested! He would be made to stand trial for crimes against theEarthKingdom…it was a little bit unexpected, though I guess the Earth King really couldn't deny any of it now.

With Long-Feng arrested, Sokka could say whatever he wanted.

"Looks like Long-Feng is 'long gone'!" He sighed happily. "Ha, oh yeah…I've been _waiting_ to use that one…"

I rolled my eyes.

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

_I knelt down upon the Fire Lord's throne-mat, behind a screen of gold flames._

_The flames reflected off my scarless face, and gleamed on my golden crown._

_Two sinuous dragons slid down nearby pillars and spoke to me._

_One had a female voice, and reminded me of Azula, she was soft and persuasive. "It's getting late. Are you planning to retire soon, my Lord?" Her scales gleamed deep blue in the firelight._

_"I'm not tired." I told her._

_She drew close to my face. "Relax, Fire Lord Zuko. Just let go, give into it. Shut your eyes for awhile."_

_The red dragon now spoke to me. It reminded me of my Uncle, masculine and insistent. "No, Fire Lord Zuko!" He said. "You should get out of here right now! Go, before it's too late!"_

_"Sleep now, Fire Lord Zuko." The blue dragon whispered to me._

_I was suddenly enveloped in darkness, and then golden eyes appeared. The blue dragon arced towards me._

_She said: "Sleep, just like MOTHER! !"_

_I heard my Mother's voice then, and saw her face as the blue dragon swallowed me._

_"Zuko, help me!" She cried. Her face then changed to Emma's, not that there was much difference, and she called out to me in the same, desperate, yet now melodic voice._

_"Zuko, please!" Something hot and fiery enveloped her suddenly, and she was screaming. "ZUKO! !"_

…

…

…

I woke up then, and my Uncle offered me some tea, even though I barely tasted it. He told me that I was at war within my own mind and body, and that I was going through an unpleasant metamorphosis. This was because of my decision underLakeLaogai, he said.

Before I fell back into unconsciousness, I asked him if Emma was alright, but I didn't hear his answer…

When I fell back to sleep, I had one of those dreams where you think you're awake but you're not. I ran to the mirror, and found myself with the scarless face and bald, blue-arrowed head of the Avatar. I screamed, and then was immersed in blackness.

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

_I knelt down, in front of a screen of gold flames._

_The flames illuminated my very long dark hair, and gleamed on my golden hairpiece._

_A figure came towards me through the flames, silhouetted against the burning heat so I couldn't see his face, but he was a lot bigger than me, and brought about him an air of command and power._

_"You are mine." He said in a voice that was exactly as his appearance to me was._

_"No," I said, strongly but with a hint of fear in my voice. "I won't let you have this your way."_

_A pair of hands suddenly grabbed me, and thrust me down onto the ground. "I _will_ get what I deserve!" The voice told me, roughly, and I could only scream as I was thrown into blackness._

_I heard another voice screaming for help, the voice of my friend Karai. She was screaming, unable to escape from a man's clutches…_

_I managed to push through the dimness, and then found myself in a beautiful courtyard. Seeking comfort, I made my way over to the pond, and knelt over it._

_I saw my reflection in the water – raven-coloured hair, deep scarlet eyes, and…a round, pregnant belly._

_I screamed…_

_…_

_…_

_…_

When I awoke I was alone in the blue moonlight-lit room. I sat up on my futon, and then stood up, although I fell again because I put weight on my injured leg.

I managed to get up and, dragging my injured leg behind me, got myself over to the door, and slid it open.

Uncle Iroh was seated at the table, along with…Kai. I stared at them, for a moment, and realized that they'd both fallen asleep there.

I then made my way over to the room next door, sliding the door open, and there he was.

My sleeping angel of fire.

He was lying on a futon, sweating, and tossing and turning in his troubled sleep.

I limped over to him and, kneeling down beside him, looked upon his face with concern.

"Zuko…" I whispered, drawing water up from a nearby bucket. I let it surround my hands, which began to glow blue, and I placed them on the young Prince's bare chest. I began to sing, closing my eyes in deep concentration as I felt the healing take effect.

I felt my burned wrist tingling, and opened my eyes in surprise to see that the water had healed my burns as well, leaving only a scar.

I flexed my wrist, surprised, and then felt a wave of sleep wash over me. I fell to the floor next to Zuko, unable to stay awake for much longer…

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

_I was back in the Fire Lord's room, and the blue dragon was back. The red dragon lay curled up on the floor, seemingly unable to move, as if he were paralyzed._

_The blue dragon smiled victoriously and moved in for the kill but, suddenly, something grey shot out from behind a pillar, heading towards the vindictive blue she-dragon._

_It was another dragon, a dull-violet one with something akin to a grey fog smeared across its scales._

_In Emma's voice, she shouted: "I won't let you!" And the purple dragon sank latched onto the blue dragon's ear._

_The blue dragon roared in pain. She twisted her body around and sank her fangs into the purple dragon's side._

_The red dragon was suddenly able to move again, and flew over to me._

_"We must leave!" He said urgently._

_"I'm not leaving her!" I shouted, looking towards the two battling dragons._

_"Which one of us?" The two dragons said in unison, both stopping and looking at me._

_I looked firmly into both sets of waiting, golden eyes, and said: "Either of you."_

_…_

_…_

_…_

When I woke up, something had clicked in my head – and my heart.

On an impulse, I looked to my right, and there she was. The legendary lady…

I sat up and looked at her, just watching as the sunlight danced across her peaceful face. I reached out to gently touch the bandage on her shoulder, and then let my fingers trail down to the white scars on her right wrist. Burn scars.

I gently picked up her hand and kissed it, before gently rolling her onto her back and placing her arm across her chest.

I leaned over her, and brushed the chocolate-coloured locks from off of her face.

"But mostly I choose _you_, my Priestess…" I whispered to her, kissing her forehead gently. "Ever since I was little, I heard legends about the lady who came from another world…I always wondered what she would be like…Emma, you are _exactly_ how I imagined the Priestess Of Wudang would be…" Looking down at her, I smiled and got to my feet. It was a new day, and that could only mean good things. "I guess…you were the first girl I ever fell in love with…"


	40. The Star Festival

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

**Author's Notes: I hope everyone's enjoying the story!**

**Oh, and to that person whose name I don't need to know, who said Zuko was OOC…maybe you should watch episode #38 again…this IS his character for that episode…I'm right and you're wrong. XD**

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER FORTY

The Star Festival

_Then, Long-Feng showed up and, though he tried to cover it up, the Earth King eventually believed our side of the story, and even had Long-Feng arrested! He would be made to stand trial for crimes against the __Earth__Kingdom__…_

_O~O~O~O_

**Iroh's P.O.V:**

I stirred the thick white paste in the pot, humming a tune as I worked. I was in a much better mood than I had been before, thanks to both Zuko and Emma's miraculous recoveries. It seemed that they were both going to be just fine from now on.

Kai was also relieved, although she wouldn't tell me what had been wrong with her last night. She'd passed it off as nothing more than typical hormones, but I was not convinced. One thing about Kai, however, was that you did _not_ pressure her, unless you wanted to have your feet broken in seven different places.

I suddenly heard the door open from the room behind me, and my nephew come into the room. He wanted to know what I was cooking.

I told him, doubtfully, that it was jook, and that I was sure he wouldn't like it. He'd never eaten it before, claiming it to be 'horrid'.

Zuko leaned over the pot and breathed in, as I stepped back.

"Actually," Zuko said, his pleasant tone taking me by surprise, though not as much as his words. "It smells delicious. I'd love a bowl, Uncle." He picked one up.

"Now that your fever is gone, you seem different somehow." I remarked carefully, ladling some of the jook into a bowl for my nephew.

"It's a new day." He replied, sounding optimistic. "We've got a new apartment, new furniture, and today's the grand opening of your new tea shop. Plus, Emma's here and she's going to be okay. Things are looking up, Uncle." He took a sip from the bowl and looked out the window.

I relaxed, realizing that his metamorphosis must've taken effect – and, by the looks of it, for the better. I was pleased. Things were, indeed, looking up…

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"So, you're awake?"

I opened my eyes groggily, and looked over to where a very small young woman was sitting with her back against the wall, and her legs drawn up around her stomach.

I gasped. "Kai?" I scrambled to sit up, careful not to put any weight on my injured leg. "Is it really you?"

"Last I checked I was still me," She replied, and I thought I heard her mutter: "At least _I_ still am…"

I looked around, my head still fuzzy from last night. "Where…where are we?"

"Still in Ba Sing Se," She replied, not moving from her spot on the floor, as I knelt on the futon and regarded her. "Iroh, Zuko and I just moved here yesterday, in fact…"

I tilted my head to one side. "How come you're with them…? What happened to Lieutenant Jee? Where have you _been_, Karai?"

Her red eyes flashed. "I could ask you the same thing, Emma…"

I glanced down at all my bruises, visible on my arms because of the short sleeves of my yellow-green robes, and sighed. "It's…there's not a lot to tell…I was traveling with…with some friends…"

"You mean the Avatar." Kai said bluntly.

"Oh, you know about that?" I cringed.

She nodded. "Parts of it. Please continue."

I fidgeted with the hem of my robes. "Well, we were in the desert when some Sandbenders came along, and tried to capture Appa – he's the Avatar's Flying Bison." I explained. "Anyway, so I tried to stop them, and ended up getting caught as well. Appa and I were sold to a circus, where the cruel animal trainer used a whip of fire on both of us." I shivered at the memory. "Appa escaped, but I was bought by…by a man…" I lowered my head. "He, umm…well, I ended up like this." I gestured to my bruised and beaten body.

Kai leaned forward slightly. "How did you manage to escape?" She wanted to know.

I paused. "Well…the thing is…" How was I supposed to tell her? I decided that the best thing would just be to tell her straight out. I clasped my hands and said to her: "I'm a Priestess." Her scarlet eyes widened slightly. "I asked the goddesses and spirits for help, and came into my full powers in order to escape. It came at a cost, though…"

"What cost?" Kai breathed.

I shook my head. "I…I can't tell you, I'm afraid…it's kinda a Priestess-y thing."

Kai nodded, like she understood. "Do _they_ know?" She asked me.

"You mean Iroh and Zuko?" I shook my head again. "No, I haven't told them…and, you can't either!" I said quickly. "Zuko would freak out if he knew about that!"

"Oh, I dunno about _that_…" Kai said dryly.

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Not that he doesn't have feelings for you," Kai said slowly, and my heart skipped a beat. "Just that…he's in a better mood than you think…"

I narrowed my eyes. "_Meaning_?"

She shrugged. "You'll see…" She stood up.

My eyes just about bugged right out of my head then, and I let out a soft gasp. "K-Kai!" I stood up too, pointing a shaking finger at her. "You-you're…I…you're _pregnant_? !"

"Mmhmm." She didn't look at me.

"But…_how_?" I exclaimed. "_Who_? _When_? _Where_? _Why_?"

"How?" She repeated, and I blushed and looked away.

It was her turn to shake her head. "Don't worry about it – I'll tell you what happened some other time."

"Why not now?" I asked her." I told you _my_ story…" I pouted.

She waved her hand. "Some other time. Well, maybe not _all_ of it, though…" She laughed.

I laughed as well, though I got the sense that she didn't want to talk about it.

"Oh, by the way, Emma, where's that bird of yours?" Kai wanted to know.

"Yang-Chong?" I shrugged. "He's with the Avatar and our friends. Why?"

Kai raised an eyebrow. "Oh, just wondering…"

We walked (well, I limped) out into the main room of the apartment, and both of us stopped.

"Umm, what _is_ that?" We asked in unison.

"It's jook," Zuko appeared by my side, holding a bowl of the white pasty stuff which he immediately set down in order to wrap me up in a bear hug. "Uncle just made it. You should have some, Emma, I'm sure you'll like it." He smiled at Kai." You too, Kai."

I looked up at the new, and improved, Zuko, then at the jook, which looked like those pots of glue we used to get when we were kids. I pointed to it, and said to Uncle Iroh: "What did you _put_ in there?"

_O~O~O~O_

"Who thought when we came to this city as refugees, that I'd end up owning my own tea shop." Uncle Iroh said, as the four of us stood in front of the counter, surveying his new tea shop. "Follow your passion, Zuko, and life will reward you." He told his nephew.

Zuko put an arm around my shoulder, to my surprise, and said cheerfully to his Uncle: "Congratulations, Uncle."

"I'm very thankful." Iroh smiled.

"You deserve it." Zuko told him confidently. "The Jasmine Dragon will be the best tea shop in the city."

"No, I'm thankful because you decided to share this special day with me." Iroh replied. He put a hand on Zuko's arm. "It means more than you know."

Zuko suddenly pulled his Uncle and me in for a big hug, taking us _both_ by surprise.

"Awww." Kai said sarcastically, although she was wearing a smile.

Zuko was enthusiastic. "Now, let's make these people some tea!" He dragged me towards the curtains leading into the kitchens.

"Yes, let's make some tea!" Iroh agreed eagerly, and hurried after us, leaving Kai to follow us, rolling her eyes.

_O~O~O~O_

Later on, I was coming out of the kitchen with a tray of tea, I nearly ran into Zuko, who was coming in.

"Oh, wait….uh…" We both laughed, and managed to side-step each other.

On his way past me, he reached over and tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear. I nearly dropped the tray of tea cups.

"Oh, by the way," He said casually, and I turned around to look at him. "There's a festival on tonight, called the Star Festival…"

"I'll go with you." I said immediately, and then blushed.

From outside in the shop, I heard Iroh call: "Aima, where are those tea cups?"

"I'm coming!" I called back, and hurried away from Zuko's contented gaze…

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

I walked by myself, with only Momo for company. Not even Yang-Chong was with me, because he'd gone with Toph. Sokka had gone off to meet our Father, and Aang had taken Appa to see a Guru about being able to master theAvatarState.

So, I was here on my own, helping theEarthKingdomfigure out their plans for the invasion.

I just hoped that everyone else was alright…

As I walked down the street, I noticed that the people in the streets seemed to be getting ready for some kind of a festival. Huh, that seemed weird. Here I was getting ready for _war_, and these people were getting ready to _party_.

I stopped when I noticed a very small but pregnant woman struggling with a bag and, on an impulse, I hurried over to help her.

"Oh, thanks," She said gratefully, pushing a strand of hair out of her face. "I tell ya, those lazy, good for nothing men I live with send _me_ to do all the hard work, just so that they can open up their new tea shop!"

"Where abouts is it?" I asked her kindly. She obviously had a fiery personality. She seemed a little bit older than me, but she looked like she could be just as sharp as Toph. I bit my lip, thinking about Toph. I hoped she was okay, after receiving a letter to go and visit her Mother in Ba Sing Se. Well, she had Yang-Chong with her, so how much trouble could she get into?

"It's not to far from here, actually," The small woman told me, pointing down the road. "It's the new shop, The Jasmine Dragon."

"Sounds exotic," I smiled, and lifted up the heavy bag of supplies. "I can carry these for you, if you want?"

"Sure." She shrugged, and we set off walking. "The name's Kikyo, by the way – but, call me Kiki, please." She added, as Momo jumped off my shoulder and onto hers.

"I'm Katara." I replied. "And, this is Momo…" As Kiki patted Momo, we walked past a man stringing up coloured paper lanterns between the buildings. "What's all this for, anyway?"

"You don't know?" Kiki raised an eyebrow. "What rock have _you_ been living under? It's for the Star Festival."

"Star Festival?" I repeated.

Kiki nodded. "Mmhmm. It's anEarthKingdomholiday."

"So, what's it about?" I asked her.

"Hmm…" She looked thoughtful, and then said: "I've heard, from word of mouth of course, that it's quite similar to the Fire Nation's Lantern Festival, and also the _Duanwu_ Festival…"

"Celebrated by the Water Tribe people!" I exclaimed. "That's right, I remember the people of the north talking about that!" Yue had actually hinted that it was her _least_ favourite day of the year. She preferred the Winter Solstice, when her spiritual energy was strongest. I'd smiled, and agreed.

"Oh, are you from the south?" Kiki asked politely.

I nodded. "Yeah, I am. Anyway," I went on, not wanting to stray off topic. "Soooo…what's the Star Festival about? Maybe I'll go…?"

"Umm, problem is, I don't think you'd be able to get in without a ticket," She must've caught the disappointment on my face, because her gaze softened and she went on with: "The festival is held in the evening, and is held on _this_ day because the legend traces back that the two stars, _Zhinü_ and _Niulang_, were lovers separated by the Milky Way, and are only allowed to meet just once a year. People write wishes on pieces of paper and hang them from trees, in the hopes that they'll come true, or so Uncle says. I also heard it's a chance for single girls to wish for a prospective partner." She rolled her eyes, which I now noticed were the colour of rubies. "I'm still not sure why Lee and Aima are going, but they've always been weird." We stopped out front of a big tea shop, which had a large square-shaped pond out the front of it. "Well, this is my stop." She held out her arms for the bag of supplies, which I handed to her.

Momo jumped onto my shoulder. "Who are Lee and Aima?" I asked her.

She looked to the side. "Lee's my cousin, and Aima's his…well, I'm not really sure _what_ she is to him. Maybe this festival will be a chance for them to stop being so stubborn. Hey, maybe _I'll_ stop being so stubborn and find a boyfriend." She laughed lightly. "Pigs might fly." She added, and I giggled.

Just then, I recalled the symbol for the Bei Fong family, and was about to mention this to Kiki, but she had already vanished.

I shook my head slightly, and then remembered that I had to go and speak with the General's about the proposed invasion.

"Come on Momo, let's go." I told the lemur. "We'll come back here later, though…yeah, I know, she reminds me of Toph, too…"

_O~O~O~O_

**No One's P.O.V:**

Katara didn't know it then, but Toph – and Yang-Chong – had both been captured. Toph was imprisoned in a metal box, and unable to bend her way out of it.

Yang-Chong had been sold to somebody within the city.

Toph was getting more and more desperate, angry…and upset. How could this have happened?

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I pulled back the tissue wrapping around the dress Uncle Iroh had bought for me and, for a moment, I was speechless. I was still standing there staring at it, when the door slid open and Kai came in.

"Need some help?" She asked me, and I nodded mutely. "It's called a _qipao_," She told me, holding it up for me to step into. "It's actually more traditional for people to wear them back home. Most people will be wearing long robes tonight, according to Iroh, so you'll probably stand out." She added.

"_Great_…" I said sarcastically.

"Don't worry," She waved her hand. "You'll be wearing a mask. Looks like it'll match the dress, too." She remarked.

"I haven't seen it." I admitted.

"It's in Zuko's room," Kai replied, helping me zip up the dress. "I'll go and get it and be back to do your hair and makeup. I have time before my evening shift to help you."

"Why will I need makeup if I'm wearing a mask?"

"You won't be wearing your mask _all_ the time." She responded, with a roll of her ruby eyes. "I can get you your fan, too." She added.

"Thanks." I said, surprised at her helpful nature. I guessed Zuko wasn't the _only_ one on happy pills today…

"I guess I just got influenced by that southern girl and her pet lemur today." Kai shrugged, and left me standing there in the room, frozen…

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I served tea to a customer late that afternoon, who said to me: "My, don't you look dashing."

I smiled at her politely. "Thank you." I replied, glancing down at my robes, which were similar to a _changshan_. They were dark brown, with dark red vertical collars that had parallel diagonal lapels, which overlapped and matched the trousers I wore underneath. The sleeves were loose and flowing, and a red sash was tied at my waist.

I carried the empty tray back up to the counter, where my Uncle was waiting along with my red fox mask for the festival.

He suddenly started grinning, and looking at somebody past my left shoulder.

I turned around, and my heart skipped a beat.

Standing at the entrance to the shop was a girl wearing a beautiful blue _qipao_. It was a blue gradation that started out soft royal blue from the neck to mid-chest, and then changed to a dark zodiac blue – the colour of the night sky. Embroidered all over the silk of the dress were gold and silver threads picturing stars, moons and phoenixes, interspersed with looping vines and flowers. The dress fit the girl's body perfectly, making her look curvy and petite. The dress also stopped at mid-calf, and I was just raising my eyebrow at the incredibly long side-slit, when I noticed the blue fox mask on the girl's face, and realized who it was.

Emma stood there, her posture decidedly self-conscious, her expression impossible to see beneath her mask. Even with the bruises and healing cuts on her skin, she still looked…I struggled to find the right word…what could I say?

She raised her head slightly, and I saw the light glimmer off her hazel eyes through the slits of the fox mask's eyes.

I gulped, and was just about to say something to her, when Kai pushed past Emma and said, loudly: "Yeah, yeah, sketch a picture, it'll last longer, scar-face!"

I rolled my eyes, just as a customer asked for a new order of tea. "Uncle, I need two jasmine, one green and one lychee!"

"I'll brew it as fast as I can." My Uncle assured me with a smile.

I smiled too, as Emma came forward and lifted her mask slightly for me to see her face. Her eyes had been outlined with dark blue liner, and her eyelids dusted with sparkling gold shadow. Her lips were painted soft pink.

She smiled at me. "You look great."

"Thanks," I replied, and then smiled back at her. "So do you." I offered her my arm, which she took, blushing. She put her mask back on, and Kai thrust the red fox mask into my hand.

"Go and have fun." She said, and then added sternly: "But, I am _warning_ you, Mister, no doing anything you _shouldn't_ understand?"

"Kai!" Emma hissed under her breath, sounding mortified.

"Don't worry," I assured them both. "We'll have fun, won't we?" I patted her hand on my arm.

"Y-yes," She squeaked. "We will!"

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

Though I was trying to have a good time, I couldn't help worrying. As soon as Zuko had asked for the order of tea back at the shop, I'd known without a doubt that Katara must be running back to the palace as we spoke. Even now, she might already be captured by Azula.

Was it really alright for me to go out and enjoy myself while she was going through something like that?

The streets of Ba Sing Se looked beautiful. It was brightly lit, with wires holding brightly coloured lanterns strung between the buildings. Papier-mâché (if that's what they were) globes with coloured streamers dangling from them were strung up over entryways, and garlands of flowers decorated the streets.

Zuko appeared to have been well-educated on these customs by Uncle Iroh, and he filled me in on many of them as we walked.

"This is called the Wishing Tree," Zuko told me, as we came to a large, very leafy tree in the centre of a square. "You write your wish on the piece of paper and, if you have the proper faith, then it will come true." He handed me a piece of yellow paper, and selected a green piece for himself.

I thought about it for a moment and then, using one of the pens that was provided, wrote my wish in my messy, scrawly English.

"What did you write?" Zuko asked me, leaning over my shoulder.

I smiled from behind my fox mask. "It's a S-E-C-R-E-T…" I replied, and tied my wish onto a branch next to his.

I heard the smile in his chuckle as he took my hand, and we walked through the streets together. Everywhere were people in brightly coloured robes. Men, women and children were everywhere, talking and laughing. And, everyone was wearing a mask, which was cool. I wasn't limping as much now but, even so, Zuko guided me deftly through the crowds.

"Come on," Zuko pulled me towards a street lined with food vendors. "Let's get something to eat."

There were a lot of different types of food to choose from here in Ba Sing Se, more than I had ever seen in this world. We got many things from a lot of stores, including egg-rolls, wonton and dim sum, and something strange that turned out to be eggplant charred over a flame and then peeled and mashed with something like yoghurt, and spices, too.

We sat down on a stone bench to eat, and I found it easy to talk to this new, cheerful Zuko. He pointed out a lot of things that were interesting, and we talked about Uncle's new tea shop, and Kai's baby.

Just as we were finishing up, an unfamiliar voice from in front of us said: "Lee?"

Zuko and I both looked up, to see a girl wearing a pink goddess mask that matched her pink and lilac robes. Zuko stood up immediately, pulling me to my feet.

"Jin!" He greeted the girl with a warm hug. "How are you? I haven't seen you since we moved."

"I know, right? !" She finally removed her mask, revealing herself to be none other than the pretty girl from the Lower-Ring. She smiled at me. "You must be Emma!" She greeted me.

I nodded, feeling shy. Zuko put his arm around my shoulders, and said to Jin: "Are you here by yourself?"

"Oh, no, Tai-Lung came with me." She smiled. "He has the night off." She looked at me and added, for my benefit: "Tai-Lung's a member of the Dai Li agents."

I nodded. "We've…met…" Zuko tightened his grip on my shoulder slightly. "Completely randomly…" I finished lamely.

Jin grinned. "Well, he's around here somewhere, chasing down Aiguo and Koko."

"Aiguo?" I repeated. "Koko?"

"Tai-Lung's little brother, and his pet Fire Ferret." Zuko replied, smiling.

"A Fire Ferret?" My eyes were shining. "That's so cool!"

"Let's see if we can find them." Zuko suggested, and we set off through the crowd, replacing our masks as we did.

"If I know Aiguo," Jin was saying, as she led us through the crowd. "He'll be somewhere around here…"

She was leading us through a street filled with stalls containing either live animals or stuffed ones.

"Whoa…" I said, looking around at all the weird things, and then I stopped dead, yanking Zuko to a stop as well because he was still holding my hand.

"What is it?" He asked me, and then saw the prize I was looking at. It was a stuffed animal, a purple dragon. It had a long, sinuous body and feathery silver wings. It was adorable. He glanced at the stall it was being offered at, and then reached into his robes and pulled out five copper pieces, which he handed to the stall vendor.

I took a look at the stall vendor, and didn't like the looks of him. He looked like a real cheat and, when I found out what the game was, I thought he was a _real_ cheat.

It was simple enough – throw the clay rings onto the prize you wanted and, if you got one on it, you won. Kinda like ring-toss, only…I'd seen that episode of The Simpsons…

As I'd suspected, none of the rings looked even remotely big enough to fit around the dragon's neck and, sure enough, even though Zuko's aim was spot-on, it was a miss each time.

I tilted my head to the side which, when coupled with my fox mask, must've been a pretty thoughtful look.

Zuko glanced at me, and then handed the stall vendor another five copper coins. "I'd like to try again." He said, and the vendor shrugged.

"It's your money." He replied.

I narrowed my eyes, as Zuko threw the first four rings. Then, when he threw the fifth and final ring, I moved my hand ever so slightly, and watched as the ring expanded in size, to fit neatly onto the purple dragon's neck.

The stall vendor gasped in shock, as people around clapped and cheered for Zuko, who handed the dragon to me with a flourish.

"Thank you!" I exclaimed, hugging the dragon and then glaring at the stall vendor from behind my mask. He glared right back at me, and I could feel his eyes glaring after me as Zuko led me away.

"Did you do that?" Zuko whispered to me.

I nodded. "That man's a cheater – he deserved it."

"You are _devious_." Zuko trailed a finger down the side of my neck.

I gulped, and then looked around. "Hey, where'd Jin go?"

Zuko looked around as well. "I don't know…oh, wait, there she is…"

Jin was running back through the crowd towards us and, when she reached us, she exclaimed: "You're not going to believe this! Come on!"

Zuko and I exchanged a glance, and then followed Jin through the crowd.

_O~O~O~O_

Jin led us to a large stage, decorated with flowers and silk, and through the crowd to where a crowd was gathered around a set of tables.

"Aiguo!" She called, and a young boy turned around. He was wearing a brown monkey mask, and had a red ferret on his shoulder.

_Aww, cute…I didn't think I'd get to see one until Korra's time…_

"I can't _believe_ you're not gonna help me with this, Jin!" The young boy, Aiguo, complained.

"I _told_ you to wait until your brother got here." Jin responded, hands on hips. "Anyway, I brought someone who might be able to help."

"Help with what?" Zuko said immediately.

Jin gestured to the table. "Take a look…"

We both stepped closer…

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw what was in a cage on the table, next to an ornate blue and gold crown.

Beside me, Emma had gone rigid, and was staring into the blue eyes of the phoenix. The phoenix was, despite being in his golden glory, looking depressed and sad.

Behind me, I was vaguely aware of Jin and Aiguo arguing, about how Jin wouldn't help Aiguo free the phoenix. To win the phoenix (and the crown) a boy and girl had to perform an act onstage.

"Zuko…" Emma whispered to me, her voice barely audible over the crowd. "I have to get Yang-Chong back…" There was a fierce determination in her voice.

I nodded. "I'll help you."

"You don't _have_ to." She told me.

"I want to," I reached for her hand, and took it. "I want to help the girl I like."

She turned to me, her face unreadable beneath her mask, but then she said: "Remind me to kiss you when this is over…"

I felt my face turn red. "O…okay…"

"Oooh…" Aiguo was suddenly at my side, and nudging me with his elbow, snickering.

I rolled my eyes.

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

Zuko and I stood around, waiting for our turn to perform. We'd hurriedly been over the routine, we knew what to do, and we were confident we could win.

We _had_ to.

Just then, I heard a voice say: "…that annoying Water Tribe girl and Earthbending brat…"

I instinctively glanced over my shoulder, and saw a couple who were to go on a few acts before us. The speaker was a girl, with her brown hair tied into two buns, and no mask. For that reason, I realized she must be Star. I recognized her from the cartoon.

"They probably weren't even _invited_ tonight," Star went on. "I mean, common _riff-raf_ like _that_? How did they even get _into_ the Upper-Ring in the first place?"

"Doesn't she _ever_ shut up?" I muttered, watching as she and her partner (a dark-haired, glasses-wearing male) went up onstage. "It's a nice dress, though." I admitted.

"Yours is prettier." Zuko told me. "My Uncle made a good choice with the colour."

"Your Uncle's so nice." I smiled.

I listened intently to Star's performance. It was…actually pretty good, I had to admit, and I was worried.

By the time it was my turn, I was shaking, and that didn't help at all since I had to go up onstage by myself at first. Zuko would only join me later. He'd heard the song only once before, and I just hoped that he would remember it…

I gulped and faced the crowd, and then looked at Yang-Chong.

He had gone very still, and was looking at me. Even though I was wearing a mask, I thought that he might recognize me. I gulped again, lowered myself gently to a kneeling position, and began to sing:

"_I've waited all my life_

_For the day when love appears_

_Like a fairy tale in days gone by_

_He will rescue me from my fears_

_And now suddenly he walks in like a dream…_" As I sung this part, Zuko came up onstage, 'helped' me up, and then we both began to move, using a combination of Firebending and Waterbending sets to accent our movements, and everyone 'oohed'.

"_And how can I tell him what he means to me?_

_My heart stands still - has he come?_

_Oh starry night_

_Is he the one that I dream of?_

_Oh starry night_

_Tell me, is he my own true love?_

_Every night I think of him_

_Here in my lonely room_

_Waiting for my prince to come_

_Wondering if he'll be here soon_

_I'd say, thank you for giving me courage,_

_And look, I've found a brand new power…_

_It envelopes everything, and shines…_"

I had decided to use the English translation for the original song I was singing, partially to make it longer…and partially so that Zuko could sing as well.

Which he did.

"_I love you so much that I could die  
>Drifting in the wind the seed<br>Will sprout like your smiling face _

_Where there is no sound in the corners of space  
>Everybody is alone<br>When at least our feelings of love meet  
>I can go on to tomorrow<em>."

Zuko sung the next part by himself.

"_The throbbing building up warmly  
>Eternally whoever's heart it is in<br>It will resound loudly, the magical melody_…"

And, I sung this part alone:

"_Even more than the blue sky and the sea  
>I will chase after my dreams with love<em>…"

We sung the last line together._  
><em>"_Your deep eyes told me to do that_…"

We did all of this whilst moving but, at the end, we stood together, and sung the end.

"_Oh starry night_

_This the moment I dream of?_

_Oh starry night_

_How will I know_

_Will this love show?_

_Are you my own true love?_"

At the end of the song everyone applauded.

I was blushing, but Zuko looked proud and radiant, as he took my hand and together we made our way offstage.

As we walked past Star, I heard her say: "I don't like that girl…she seems like Little Miss Perfect…"

I didn't care, though. Zuko and I had performed well together, and there was something that had linked us to enable us to sing this song properly.

It felt…awesome.

_O~O~O~O_

Zuko and I stood onstage next to Star and her partner. It felt like a beauty pageant or something.

The young man deciding on the winner walked up onstage and…

I was looking at Yang-Chong, and focusing all of my attention on his, so I didn't hear what was said.

Just then, Zuko grabbed me up in a massive hug, and said: "Aima, you won! We won!"

"I…what? We what?" I was in shock. "What?" I looked over at Star and…if looks could kill, I'd've been dead on the spot.

"I don't _believe_ this!" Star exclaimed, as the crown was placed on my head, but I could only watch as they handed the birdcage to Zuko, who handed it to me.

"Oh, Yang-Chong." I whispered, opening the cage immediately and he leapt into my arms. "I missed you so much." Tears were in my eyes, as he cooed softly.

_O~O~O~O_

"And you," I turned to Zuko a few minutes later, as we walked back to the apartment. "You _can_ sing! They were all right!"

Zuko turned to me, and smiled. "Don't you owe me a kiss?" He asked me, and my heart began to beat faster.

He leaned down towards me, and Yang-Chong, perched on my shoulder, crowed slightly in warning. Zuko ignored him but, just as our lips were about to meet, Jin came running towards us, followed by Aiguo toting the purple dragon, and a Dai Li agent. I freaked out for a second, before I realized that it was just Tai-Lung, until I heard what he had to say.

"The Dai Li know you're here." He told me, his dark eyes intense.

"They're coming to arrest you!" Aiguo added, and Koko chirped.

"What for?" I gasped. Zuko gripped my arm.

"They say they saw you cheating at the purple dragon stall." Jin told me, as Tai-Lung gave me and Zuko a meaningful look.

Zuko and I exchanged a glance. My heart was utterly pounding now. The Dai Li knew who I was…

"What should we do?" I whispered.

"I have a plan," Tai-Lung said, glancing around us. "We need to hurry, though…"

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

"Hold it right there." The calm, smooth voice of the Dai Li agent said from behind us, and three more appeared, surrounding us.

Beside me, the other two gripped my arm, and Yang-Chong chirped nervously, as the Dai Li came forward.

One of them looked at the brunette in the blue _qipao_ standing next to me, and hesitated. "That's not the girl we're after." He said.

"You sure?" Another agent looked at the girl closely.

"Positive," The Dai Li agent speaking muttered. "The one we're after has a burn mark on her wrist…"

"Takeoff your mask." Another Dai Li agent ordered the brunette, who complied, and the Dai Li agents looked at her.

"We're sorry to have wasted your time." They apologized, and left us.

When they were gone, we three continued walking, and arrived back at the Jasmine Dragon, where Emma and Tai-Lung were waiting for us. I kissed Emma's forehead, glad that she'd made it back safely, wearing Jin's robes.

As Emma hugged Jin, and offered her a free cup of tea for all her help, I approached my Uncle, who was looking…thrilled about something.

"Nephew," Uncle Iroh beamed at me. "We have been invited to serve tea to the Earth King himself! At the palace tomorrow!"

CRASH!

We all looked over as Emma stared at the broken tea cup, and then she mumbled: "I can pay for that…?"

"You're so clumsy." Karai scolded, and started cleaning up the mess.

"I'm sorry!" She exclaimed, looking distracted, as she ran a hand across Yang-Chong's back.

I noticed that she was wearing her pendant again, and I smiled. She looked beautiful in it…


	41. There's A Fire Between Us

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

There's A Fire Between Us

_One of them looked at the brunette in the blue _qipao_ standing next to me, and hesitated. "That's not the girl we're after." He said._

_"You sure?" Another agent looked at the girl closely._

_"Positive," The Dai Li agent speaking muttered. "The one we're after has a burn mark on her wrist…"_

_O~O~O~O_

**Aang's P.O.V:**

I knew that Katara was in trouble and, though the Guru had told me to let her go…I _couldn't_ do that! As I had admitted to the old man, I _loved_ Katara! I loved everything about her – her calming and nurturing nature, her powerful Waterbending, the way she sometimes lost her temper at small things, her beautiful blue eyes, and even the way she wore her hair-loopies! I _couldn't_ separate myself from her! I needed her!

I also needed my other friends, but for a different reason. I went and retrieved Sokka from where I'd left him. He seemed hesitant to leave his Dad – until I mentioned why. We flew along on Appa, and were hoping to find Toph along the way.

Sokka wanted to know what kind of trouble his sister was in, and I said I didn't know. My vision had just shown her to me in mortal danger, and she couldn't get out of it alone. She _needed_ us!

As Sokka was complaining about how unspecific my powers tended to be, we spotted a massive trail of dust swiftly making its way across the country-side.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Toph, racing along on two mounds of rolling earth!

"Need a ride? !" Sokka called down to her.

"Ahhh!" The blind girl was startled, and she tumbled to the ground through lack of concentration.

"Oooh…" Sokka and I winced.

Sorry, Toph.

_O~O~O~O_

**Ty-Lee's Diary:**

_We have successfully infiltrated Ba Sing Se, disguised as the Kyoshi Warriors we defeated. Azula says that once we manage to take out the Earth King and his five generals, then Ba Sing Se will be ours. She's going to get the Dai Li to do that for us._

_Azula is so smart sometimes!_

_She's also worried, though, because her Uncle and brother are still out there, and she doesn't want them getting in the way of her taking out the Avatar. But, not to worry. She says she has a plan for them, too._

_I don't think Mai's too happy about the possibility of Zuko getting hurt, though. I'm not, either._

_Why can't we all just get along?_

_Oops, I've gotta go! There's things to do, people to see, a city to take control of! This is so much fun!_

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

Something was ticking in my brain at that point. A sick, nagging feeling that something was amiss, but I wasn't sure what. My good mood had started to seep out of me, like a tiny pin-prick in a water skin. I wasn't sure why, as I waited with my Uncle for the Earth King in a large, decorated house within the palace grounds where we had been instructed to wait to serve the Earth King his tea, but something was about to happen…

Several Dai Li agents suddenly walked in from our right, and formed a circle around us.

"Something's not right." I finally voiced my thoughts.

As my Uncle and I stood up, someone wearing a different style of Dai Li clothing suddenly walked into the room.

My blood ran ice cold.

It was my sister.

"It's tea time." She said simply, but her eyes were full of mocking triumph.

"Azula!" I exclaimed, my inner sibling rivalry that ran much deeper than blood flaring right up.

Azula was practically singing the Dai Li's praise, but my Uncle had a few tricks up his sleeve as well.

Breathing a powerful torrent of fire at the Dai Li agents, it was easy to see how he'd gotten his nickname, The Dragon Of The West.

His attack gave us the time to escape, but I suddenly realized that if I didn't face Azula now, I would just be running from her forever.

I challenged her to an Agni Kai but, taking me completely by surprise, she refused.

If Emma had been here, she would've called Azula a chicken. I, on the other hand, had no desire to commit suicide, however the Dai Li were able to capture me, due to them outnumbering me and all.

I closed my eyes as they led me away, and bowed my head. Touching the yin-yang pendant on the red silk around my neck, the choker a temporary gift given to me just that morning, I thought: _Forgive me, Emma…_

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I opened my eyes quickly, and looked up.

Sunlight was streaming in through the window, reflecting off of my gold fan, but it felt so…_wrong_, somehow…

That was because Zuko was in danger.

I had just spent the last hour in deep meditation, trying to clear my mind for the stress that lay ahead. Not only that Aang would be killed and the city come under Fire Nation rule, but also that Zuko would…change. He'd go back to being his usual, me-against-the-world self.

I wasn't sure what to think. He'd been confusing me lately with his change in nature. At first, I hadn't been sure it was him. Trusting in the power of love was one thing, but when he was acting so differently around me…I wasn't sure what to believe.

Then, during my meditation, I'd had a startling, and thought-provoking vision, one I would never, ever forget.

~O~

_A woman approached me through the fog. She was Water Tribe, but wore extremely old-fashioned __Earth__Kingdom__ robes, though her looks were certainly Water Tribe. She had her hair tied up in an elaborate hairstyle, and there were many flowers adorning her hair. She looked not a day older than sixteen._

_She took my hand, and it felt cold and ghostly._

_I looked at her and asked her: "Who are you?"_

_"My name is Hanako." Her voice was whispery, and echoed the way the other ghost's voices had. "Some call me the Priestess Of Huā, others, Princess Huā."_

_"What does 'Huā' mean?" I wanted to know._

_"It means 'flower'." She responded. I noticed now that, instead of having the usual Water Tribe blue eyes, hers were a dull, muddy brown. That was extremely rare._

_She noticed me looking, and smiled. "I was born over two hundred and seventy-five years ago, in the Northern Water Tribe. My Father, Akodi, was the Chief of our tribe, and a skilled and accomplished Waterbender. However, his wife, my Mother Shing, was an Earthbender from the lower-ring of Ba Sing Se, who had met and fallen in mutual love with my Father when he had been attending the presentation ceremony of the then Earth Prince, Tai Shan."_

_I noticed the way in which she said his name, and wondered what was to come. As she spoke, I also saw images play out around us. A man who reminded me of a cross between Pakku and Hakoda was standing on the balcony as the Earth King held his newborn son. The ground suddenly began to shake and rumble, and the baby fell from his Father's arms, to the streets below where he was caught by a very surprised-looking young woman who looked like Hanako. As the Earth King pushed through the crowd to reach them, the woman who looked like Hanako locked gazes with the Water Tribe chief, and blushed furiously. Because of this incident, the Earth King was never allowed to mingle with the commoners again, but Akodi and Shing often met by the shores of Lake Laogai. I saw him give her a beautiful jade betrothal necklace on a blue ribbon, and smiled._

_Hanako went on. "They married, and had me. Because of my mixed heritage, I had the outwards appearance of my Father's people, but my eyes remained the same colour as my Mother's. Because of this, I was teased terribly by the other children of the tribe." The images now showed a young Hanako, wearing lilac robes and with her hair done up in braids that resembled Yue's, being bombarded with snowballs thrown and sometimes even bended by the other kids._

_"However, because both of my parents were benders," Hanako continued, as the scene shifted to show her kneeling on an animal-fur rug, with her parents kneeling on separate rugs on either side of her. "I was watched closely to see whether I would become a healer, as my Grandmother had been. However, the day came when I finally displayed my bending powers. It seemed my Mother and I shared much more than just the colour of our eyes that made us so different." The scene now a six year old showed accidentally demolishing an earthenware house. She looked thrilled and proud of herself, until the other kids started making fun of her. She went through childhood drawing further and further into herself, always reading and studying but never socializing until, finally, her voice became a mere whisper. "I became a very skilled Earthbender with the little earth that I had and, as a result, I became able to bend the earth where plants grew, so my parents called me their little Flower-Bender. However, when I learned how to bend the earth that became damp with water, the other children called me Mud-Bender. My Grandmother, who was sad that I had not been born a Waterbender like her, was at least comforted by the fact that she could teach me how to become a Priestess, like she was, and I quickly grew into my powers. My Grandmother was the Priestess Of Bien, and I became the Priestess Of Huā. There were no other Priestesses in the Water Tribe at that time, however, and I suffered for my gifts."_

_"They were mean to you because you were different." I said sadly. "I know how that feels…"_

_"Yes," Hanako nodded. "However, I did have one friend who I could depend on."_

_The scene shifted to show a fourteen year old Hanako, standing on a bridge at __midnight__. She turned, as a figure approached, and a very handsome Water Tribe boy approached her. Even in the darkness, I could see her blushing._

_"His name was Denzi," Hanako said. "And, he was the only person who understood me, also being a half-blood, as we called ourselves. His Father was an Air Nomad."_

_"Wow, talk about your mixed cultures." I nodded. "Did you and Denzi fall in love?"_

_Hanako's smile grew. "Yes, as a matter-of-fact, we did. We fell in love when we were both fifteen, and he handcrafted this necklace here for me." She pulled down the collar of her robes to reveal the necklace she wore. It was a simple dark blue cloth with a greenish-white pendant hanging from it. The pendant had a simple swirl in the middle with four smaller circles on each point of the circle. Hanako replaced her collar, and said: "We were waiting until I was sixteen for Denzi to approach my Father, as was the customs in our tribe. Of course, I was very shy, and so was he, so we never actually said that we loved each other. We just felt comfortable enough with each other to accept those unspoken words."_

_"So, did you two get married?" I asked her._

_Her smile faded, and sadness coloured her dark eyes. "Alas, we did not. For, you see, on the eve of my sixteenth birthday, we had visitors from the __Earth__Kingdom__ – it was the now Emperor Tai Shan."_

_I watched the image of a tall, __Earth__Kingdom__ man, whom I immediately didn't like for some reason._

_"He had come to see my parents, and to finally thank my Mother for saving him." Hanako said quietly. "When he laid his eyes on me, he fell in love with me instantly, and even more so when he learned that I was an Earthbender. We immediately asked my Father to allow me to marry him, and told my Mother that, by giving me a better life amongst my own kind, that he would be returning the favor to her for saving him. However, I did not like this man. He was very insistent with his feelings for me, an impatient, stubborn and arrogant man." Her voice was bitter now. "He said that my Mother's life had only changed for the better because she married my Father, who was the chief. He strongly hinted that she was worth nothing without my Father, and I didn't like that at all. Tai Shan was a sharp contrast to my beloved Denzi, who was quiet, artistic and humble." Her voice softened. "I was quite stubborn myself actually, and disliked many of my tribe's customs. Denzi had been raised by monks until he was six, and so had a calming nature that soothed my own impatience. Had I married him, we would have been quite happy together."_

_"What happened?" I asked her quietly._

_"I told my Denzi what was to happen," Hanako said quietly. "I told him that I loved him and only him, and that I wished to run away with him to our sister tribe, where we would be safe. I begged him to take me away on that very same evening."_

_I watched as the young Hanako buried her face in her beloved Denzi's chest, sobbing, and felt like crying myself. This was just so sad…_

_"My Denzi told me that he had a plan, that he must go and see my Grandmother, and to wait for him on the bridge where we often met." Hanako said. "He said that someone would come for me that night, that they would wear the betrothal necklace I gladly lent to him before we parted. He told me to trust him."_

_"What happened?" I asked again. "You were very brave to take the risk, but did someone come for you?"_

_"Yes," Hanako nodded. "Although, it was not at all like I expected." I looked around us as the picture came to life before our very eyes, playing in time with the Priestess' words. "I was standing on the bridge, waiting impatiently for my love, when I heard a low growl from behind me. I turned in shock to see a giant creature standing some six feet away from me. It was unlike anything that I had seen before. It was very big and very furry, with thick grey and white fur, four legs and a long muzzle. It was a terrifying beast." I stared at the wolf as it regarded a terrified-looking younger Hanako, and could well understand why she'd been so afraid of it. "Its eyes were trained on me and, for all my bravery at defying my tribe's customs, I was fearful for my life all of a sudden, especially when I saw that the creature was wearing my betrothal necklace around its neck like a collar. How had it gotten it? Where was my beloved? So fearful was I that I began backing up, but the creature did not pounce at me like I thought it would. Instead, it lay down on the snowy bridge, rolling over onto its back and looking up at me with an imploring expression. I remember it let out a small whimper, but I was still too frightened to move, and backed up even more. The creature rolled over quickly and began to come towards me but, just then, I heard a voice yell at me to get back. A spear of ice went sailing past me, burying itself deep into the creature's chest." I gasped. "The animal let out a deep, long howl, and collapsed to the snow, bleeding profusely as the Waterbenders encircled us, and my Father pulled me back." Hanako closed her eyes briefly, and I watched what happened next, hardly daring to breathe as a soft blue light surrounded the wolf. "None of us expected what happened next – the great beast that had just been struck down changed. He became a man." I stared in horror. "He was Denzi. I realized then why Denzi had gone to see my Grandmother. As the Priestess Of Bien, she had the power of transformation. How often had I watched in awe as she'd changed a chair into a throne and back again? How often had she given me Rabiroo ears, or a Lemur tail? When I'd asked her why she never changed me completely, or why the chair always remained a chair…she'd told me that to use the full extent of her powers was to give up her own life."_

_My eyes filled with tears. "Which means she gave up her own life to transform Denzi into a wolf…"_

_"Yes…" Hanako looked at me, her dark eyes anguished but dry. "There were no other Waterbending women in the North Pole, and so Denzi lay there on the cold bridge and died. I lost the only two people who had ever really understood what it was like to be different."_

_I watched as the scene shifted to the next day, where Hanako bowed before her parents and Tai Shan._

_"My Father showed me the necklace they had taken from my beloved's cold throat," Hanako explained. "And asked me why Denzi had been wearing it. I had never lied to my parents before, so I told them the truth now. Tai Shan was furious, and told me that we would depart for the __Earth__Kingdom__ that very day."_

_"So…you married the Earth King?" I asked her._

_She shook her head. "No. I decided that if I couldn't live with my beloved Denzi, then I would not live at all. As we sailed towards __Earth__Kingdom__ waters, I summoned up a torrent of mud from the depths of the sea, drowning everyone who was onboard that boat at the time. My life was over, but it had been over from the moment I had failed to recognize Denzi on that bridge. Had I only trusted what I did not understand, and realized that my love was near me the whole time, then he and I could have escaped together and lived a long and happy life together. Because I was shortsighted, I lost everything. I was cursed to walk through the Spirit Realm for all eternity, to guide others in love, which is like a flower. It is delicate and gentle, and must be nurtured and understood for it to blossom. Without your love, life is nothing. Without your mate, you are utterly alone. Trust the one you love, and not what your eyes can see…and, above all, tell your partner of your love. Do not leave without saying it first, as I did..."_

~O~

I thought I understood the moral of that story. Zuko was always going to be Zuko, no matter what. He had still been the same hot-headed, emotionally scarred Zuko underneath his entire cheerful exterior, just as he had always had the same kindness and devotion I'd seen in the last few days within him. I was always going to know the _real_ Zuko now – it was whoever he was in his heart that was him.

I knew that now, and I also needed to tell him that I loved him.

I especially needed to get involved in what was going on.

I stood up fast, and grabbed my golden fan, which I slipped into the pocket of myEarthKingdomrobes. I then tied up my hair messily with my red ribbon, and called to Yang-Chong: "Let's go!"

He unfurled his magnificent golden wings immediately, and let out one long musical cry as he took flight.

I ran from the room, past a startled-looking Kai.

"Where are you going?" She asked me, blinking.

"To my destiny!" I informed her, hurrying for the door.

She hurried to catch up with me, and grabbed my wrist. "Then I'm going too!" I noticed she had her bow and quiver strung to her back. "I've been waiting for you to realize something's wrong, so let's get going!" She stepped outside. "Uh…where are we going again?"

I smiled. "Oh, Yang-Chong knows the way…" I replied, grabbing onto one of his talons. "Grab on…"

_O~O~O~O_

"And so, that's the whole story." I told her, as Yang-Chong flew us over the upper ring of Ba Sing Se.

"I always thought that you were weird," Kai replied, her scarlet eyes piercing into my hazel ones. "Now, this proves it – you're from another world!"

"You're not angry?" I asked her hopefully. "I mean, I lied to you and everything…"

"Oh, I'm plenty angry." She said flatly, and I cringed.

Yang-Chong suddenly began taking us down towards a house that I recognized must be Aang's. We landed on the street near it, just as Uncle Iroh walked out the front door, followed by Toph, Sokka and Aang. Yang-Chong crowed happily at the sight of them, and they all looked over at me and Kai.

"And there's the lady who might know." Uncle Iroh said calmly.

"Might know what-?" I was cut off suddenly by Toph, Sokka and Aang all running into me, grabbing me in a massive group hug and we all fell to the ground.

"You're okay!" Sokka sounded relieved.

"We missed you!" Aang added.

"Glad to see you're still in one piece, Shiny." Toph grinned, and punched my arm.

"Ow," I said, as we all stood up, and Kai gave me a look like she couldn't believe what was going on. "I'm glad to see you guys too, but we've got big trouble!" I began explaining frantically. "The Dai Li and Azula are executing plans for a coup, and they're going to kill the king and they kidnapped Zuko and Katara and they're in the crystal catacombs under Ba Sing Se!" I breathed heavily.

Aang, Sokka, Kai and Iroh all stared at me and, at last, Toph said: "Anything else?"

"We have to go now!" I exclaimed, and the others nodded in agreement.

_Hold on, guys,_ I thought, as we hurried through the streets in the direction of the palace. _We're coming…_

"Uh, Emma, who's this kid?" Sokka suddenly wanted to know, pointing at Kai who glared at him.

"She's a friend of mine," I explained, wishing that my leg wasn't hurting quite so much. "Her name's Kai. She can help."

"Good, because we'll need all the help we can get." Aang said.

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

Some of the calmness I'd felt over the past few days was starting to show again. I guess that was probably because my fellow inmate was acting in such sharp contrast, that I didn't have any anger to show in my emotions.

The Avatar's Water Tribe friend, Katara, was furious, and thought that I'd been thrown down here to trap the Avatar when he came to save her. Not feeling like explaining myself to her, I said nothing. Her anger was starting to remind me a little bit of Emma's – I felt it might just be best to say nothing.

When she said that spreading war, violence and hatred was in my blood, however, I felt the need to correct her. I told her that she didn't know what she was talking about, because she didn't. I was pretty sure by now that Emma _hadn't_ told her new friends my story.

"I don't? !" Katara was furious. "How _dare_ you! You have no idea what this war has put me through! Me, personally…" I watched as she knelt down and buried her face in her hands, sobbing.

"I do." I said carefully, afraid that she would turn on me again when I contradicted her. "And I'm sorry. They took your Mother from you, didn't they?"

She gasped, and turned to look at me, I mean really _look_ at me, for the first time since I'd been thrown down here into this crystal cavern. "How…how did you…?" She suddenly noticed Emma's necklace around my throat, and her blue eyes widened.

"Did Emma ever tell you that's something you and I have in common?" I asked her quietly, and she shook her head slowly. A new expression was on her face now. It was…understanding.

_O~O~O~O_

**Iroh's P.O.V:**

When Toph discovered that there _was_ in fact an ancient city beneath Ba Sing Se, she said that it deep, but the Avatar should easily be able to move through the earth to get there. Toph would be going with Sokka, Emma and Kai to warn the Earth King about the coup, and the Avatar – Aang – would come with me to go and rescue our kidnapped loved ones.

"Just one change," Emma said immediately. We all looked at her, except for Toph. "I'm going to go down there, too." She pointed down at the ground.

"We might need you to help up here." Sokka told her.

"That's why Kai's going with you, and Yang-Chong, too," Emma nodded. "However, I need to go with them." She stepped back to stand between me and Aang.

"Like what?" Sokka raised an eyebrow.

Kai rolled her scarlet eyes. "She has to go and tell Zuko that she lo-" Kai was cut off suddenly when Emma dashed forwards and covered the smaller girl's mouth with her hand.

"They _don't_ need to _know_ that, Ka-rai!" Emma hissed, blushing furiously. Kai glared at the full use of her name. "They still hate him!" She looked at the rest of us. "Look, a spirit I saw told me I had to confront Zuko about an important issue, so I'm going to do it." She locked gazes with Sokka. "I'm going with them."

"Fine," The warrior nodded. "You do what you have to do then, and be careful. Everyone, move out!"

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

Aang and I used Earthbending to make our way through the tunnel lit by Iroh's fire (well, I helped Aang out, and was proud of my Earthbending).

After a couple of tense minutes, like maybe five, Aang spoke up uncomfortably. "So…Toph thinks you give pretty good advice. And great tea." He glanced at Uncle Iroh, who chuckled.

"The key to both is proper aging." Iroh replied, smiling. "What's on your mind?" He stood calmly as Aang and I Earthbended the tunnel clear.

Then, Aang said: "Well, I met with this Guru who was supposed to help me master theAvatarState, and control this great power." He lowered his gaze. "But to do it, I had to let go of someone I love, and I just couldn't."

"Perfection and power are overrated." Iroh replied wisely. "I think you were very wise to choose happiness and love."

As I bended some earth out of the way, and Aang stepped in to help me, he asked: "What happens if we can't save everyone and beat Azula?" He looked at me, his eyes full of worry. "Without theAvatarState, what if I am not powerful enough?"

"I don't know the answer." Iroh replied. "Sometimes life is like this dark tunnel. You can't always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you just keep moving…" Aang and I Earthbended the last wall of rocks out of the way. Uncle Iroh extinguished the flame in his hand and smiled. "You will come to a better place."

The green light of the absolutely beautiful crystal catacombs washed over us. The cavern was full of glowing green crystals, stalagmites and stalactites (hanging on tight!). A waterfall poured into a channel forming two rectangles around several thick, jagged columns.

"Aang, I'll tell you something I haven't wanted to think about," I said, as we made our way through the green. The Airbender looked at me. "But, I went through the same thing you're going through, only I didn't have long to make my decision and I hope I made the right one."

"You're a Priestess, aren't you?" Aang asked quietly, and I gulped.

"Umm, yes, I am," I admitted. "I made the decision to come into my full powers early, in order to be able to come back to this world and help everybody. But, to do it, I had to pay a price."

"Was the price worth it?" Aang wanted to know.

I noticed Iroh was looking at me. I shrugged. "I dunno. I haven't had to pay it, yet. But, I do know _one_ thing. Today's spirit told me that, without love, life is pointless. Without your mate, you are utterly alone. I don't know if that's true, although I don't want anyone to have to go through what I went through. But, Aang, you should tell Katara how you feel. You have to say it in case something happens. Don't die without saying it." I said intently, staring straight ahead into the crystal caverns. "Don't wait until it's too late, my brother. You've gotta come right out and say it."

"Brother?" Aang repeated.

I blushed. "Well, yeah, you're like the brother I never had…" On an impulse, I reached over and pretended to shine his bald head. "You're alright, you know? For a hundred and twelve year old guy."

Iroh chuckled.

_O~O~O~O_

**Zhu's P.O.V:**

I stood behind a pillar and watched silently as the Water Tribe boy and blind Earthbending girl came into the throne room, and approached Mai and Ty-Lee, who were still in costume. I narrowed my eyes as I observed them both as they figured out that the girls weren't actually Kyoshi Warriors, and attacked.

The battle came to an abrupt end, however, when Azula appeared out of nowhere and threatened the Earth King. The Water Tribe boy andEarthKingdomgirl immediately surrendered but, just then, a large golden shape appeared from nowhere and an arrow accompanied it.

Azula immediately jumped out of the way, just as a small young woman appeared by her side and began to fight her.

"You!" Azula exclaimed, jumping back and Firebending at the girl, who immediately blocked it and retaliated with hand-to-hand combat.

"I." The red-eyed girl responded mockingly.

"Bounty hunters have spent _months_ trying to track you down, and here you are, coming so willingly to me like a fly to a Mars Fly-Trap!" Azula had lightning dancing on her hands.

"Lightning won't work this time, Az-u-la!" The girl, Kai, responded, as a large golden phoenix sought to aid her in the battle.

_A phoenix…?_ I thought, surprised. _But…this is not the Priestess Of Wudang…_ My eyes narrowed. _Where is his mistress?_

"Hmm, you're right." Azula said thoughtfully.

I watched as Azula struck her opponent hard on the shoulder, and then kicked her in the stomach.

Normally, this wouldn't have been a problem, except that Kai was pregnant.

I was deeply disappointed by Azula's actions. Was she _truly_ Ursa's daughter? I shook my head, sighing, as Kai hit the wall at the other side of the palace.

She slumped to the ground, crying out in agony and clutching at her stomach.

"_Kai_!" The Water Tribe boy andEarthKingdom girl yelled in unison, as the phoenix landed by the injured girl's side.

"Ah, you _might've_ gone too far there, Azula…" Ty-Lee looked a little but concerned.

"She's right, Princess," I said, stepping out from behind my pillar. "That girl is one of our own."

"No, she's a traitor," Azula replied coldly, as the prisoners were led out of the room or, in Kai's case, carried by a Dai Li agent I knew was named Tai-Lung. "There's no room in the Fire Nation for traitors." Her eyes narrowed, as the phoenix suddenly took flight, breaking free of his captors and soaring from the room.

"Where's he going?" Ty-Lee wondered.

"I know…" Azula muttered. "He's going to _her_…"

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I stood back for a moment and watched as Aang broke through the wall, and he and Iroh burst into another cavern.

I heard Katara's voice calling out Aang's name, and then saw her run forwards and throw her arms around him as Iroh hurried out of my line of sight to hug Zuko.

I heard their discussion, and then Aang and Katara were coming towards me.

Katara stopped when she saw me. "Emma?" She then ran forwards and threw her arms around me. "I was so worried about you!" She cried softly. She suddenly glanced at my wrist and gasped, her blue eyes tracing over the white scars there.

"I'm alright," I assured her, clasping her shoulder briefly. "I'm glad to be back, though."

We exchanged a look, and something clicked between us. If Aang was like my brother, then Katara was definitely my sister. There was a definite connection there.

"Hurry up, you two!" Aang called back to us. "We have to find Sokka and Toph!"

"Right!" Katara agreed, and hurried to catch up with him, leaving me standing there by myself, while I deliberated what to do.

Suddenly, I heard Aang cry: "Yang-Chong? !"

And, just then, I remembered how much danger we were suddenly in.

I turned around, just as a wave of blue fire headed towards me, and I instantly dodged it, feeling the heat coursing across my chest because I'd Matrixed my way out of it.

Azula was coming towards me and, without a moment's hesitation, I Earthbended a pillar of rock at her, which she dodged.

"I've been looking for you!" She told me, shooting a blast of blue fire at me, which I blocked.

"And why would _that_ be, Priestess Azula? !" I shouted, punching both my fists forward and, as I'd expected, shooting a barrage of golden flames at her, which she dodged and blocked skillfully. "Isn't it _enough_ that you're trying to kill everyone else? !"

"I see you've come into your powers a little early, Priestess Emma. Too bad you won't be around much longer to _use_ them for my Father. Oh well." The Fire Princess smirked, and shot a bolt of lightning at me, which I blocked with Earthbending, but the force of it sent me flying back, out of the tunnel and into the waterfall room.

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

"And why would _that_ be, Priestess Azula? ! Isn't it _enough_ that you're trying to kill everyone else? !" I heard Emma's voice shout from the tunnel behind me, and my blood ran cold when I heard Azula, the Fire Lord's daughter, answer.

It was followed by the sound of crackling lightning, and then Emma came flying out of the tunnel, heading straight towards the waterfall, where she hit the water with a resounding splash.

Yang-Chong cried out in alarm, as Aang was forced to Earthbend a stone wall to protect us from Azula's attacks.

The battle was intense – Azula was fighting to kill, and Aang and I were fighting to protect ourselves and each other. I lost track of Emma, but I think Yang-Chong went to look for her.

Azula was standing between Aang and myself, pointing her fingers at both of us, preparing to shoot us with fire or lightning, I did not know.

Just then, a blast of red fire landed between Aang and Azula. Zuko drew closer, wearing a simple brown shirt and pants he must've had on beneath his outer robes.

I was looking at him, wondering what he'd do. After all he'd said to me back there, and he still had on Emma's necklace…what would he do?

He looked at his sister, and then at Aang – and attacked!

Aang and I gasped in unison, as Aang was forced to defend himself from Zuko's attacks.

My blood ran cold – in the end, he was still the same as always.

His sister smirked, and then sent an arc of fire at me, underhand. I used water from my flask to deflect the fire.

I lost track of what was happening to Aang after that.

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

Above me, I saw whips of blue water and red fire slicing at each other, and heart Katara – my sister – shout: "I thought you had changed!"

"I _have_ changed." Zuko responded.

_No, you _haven't_!_ I thought, and broke the bubble of air I had formed around my mouth. Zuko and Katara had moved back now, and Azula was about to join in the fight since Aang was currently trying to pull himself out of the rubble.

I leapt up out of the water, and grabbed onto Yang-Chong's talon, before allowing him to help me flip my body around, to land directly behind Azula.

"_Not_ my sister, you witch!" I cried, and simultaneously hit her with a roundhouse kick directly to her side, sending her flying.

Zuko turned furiously but, when he saw me, he hesitated. "Emma?"

"Zuko!" I looked at him, my melodic voice ringing with slight despair. "Why are you doing this? Is this what you really want? !"

"I _have_ to do this!" He responded.

"No, you don't!" I cried. "Remember what you wrote down on the piece of paper? At the Star Festival? !"

"How do you know what I wrote?" He was shocked. "You can't read that!"

"I asked Uncle Iroh!" I responded, as we faced each other. I noticed that neither one of us had relaxed our defensive poses. "He wouldn't tell me _exactly_ what it said, but he mentioned it had something to do with what happened the night you and I left Pohuai Stronghold!" I said to this to him in desperation. "Your wish was to do with that!"

Something akin to recollection flashed through his mind. "I had forgotten about that…" He said slowly.

"_Please_, Zuko!" I begged him. "What we both want _isn't_ so different! I came here to _tell_ you something…" I noticed Katara staring at me in confusion, and then her eyes widened.

I looked over my shoulder, at Azula walking towards me.

"What did you come to tell him?" She asked me mockingly. "That you _love_ him, is that it?" She laughed sarcastically. "Don't _fool_ yourself, Emma. You don't know him. He could _never_ fall in love with you." She laughed again. "You're just a pathetic, mousy crybaby."

There were a thousand and one things I wanted to say to her right then, because my heart was pounding like horses' hooves in my chest. What did she know? Wait, she was Zuko's sister…_did_ she know? ! What if it was true? ! No, wait, Azula always lies! She's just trying to turn me against him, like she turned Zuko against Uncle Iroh! Yeah, that's it.

I looked at her, and saw my gaze harden in the reflection of her amber eyes.

"Monster." I said clearly.

With a furious yell, Azula shot blue fire at me, which I dodged and then fired a wave of my own flames at her.

"You're unskilled, and you know it!" Azula shouted, drawing my in for closer, hand-to-hand combat.

_She's right! I've only really been trained a little in Waterbending and Earthbending! But…I was trained by Uncle Iroh, and Suki of the Kyoshi Warriors! I can DO this!_

Azula's movements were a lot more pronounced than mine, sharper and more aggressive. I don't know if it's because she was a Firebender, but she had a more external fighting style, whereas _mine_ was mainly _internal_.

I was surprised at how evenly matched we were but, then again, I'd accepted the cost of coming into my full power, and this was that full power. Being able to Firebend properly and match Azula in close-combat…a pink light began to glow around my hands, and my eyes saw the light coming from my forehead.

Suddenly, Azula's hands glowed gold. She looked down at them for a moment, and then I watched her gaze slide sideways to look at a golden-haired lady who had just entered the cavern…Zhu…

"So that's how it is?" Azula murmured.

"That's how it is." Zhu nodded.

Just then, Aang burst out of a wall, and headed towards Zuko, who had just knocked Katara unconscious.

Azula suddenly lashed out at me, grabbing hold of my scarred wrist. Her hands glowed red hot, and I screamed as the scar tissue was burnt into.

Through the pain and tears, I saw Zuko swing his head around, his face taking on a look of pain as I burned.

Suddenly, Yang-Chong appeared out of nowhere and clawed at Azula's face with his talons, as I broke free of her grip and stumbled away, to come face-to-face with none other than Zhu.

"We meet at last, Priestess Of _Wudang_." Zhu bowed to me. "I know _all_ about you."

"I know who you are, too…" I told her, clutching my burnt wrist as, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dai Li agents surround a now conscious Katara, and Zuko and Azula face off against Aang, who suddenly whispered something to himself before forming a teepee of green crystals around himself.

Zhu was watching it, too. "He's going to go into theAvatarState." She said quietly.

"_No_!" I gasped. "_He'll get himself killed_!" As Yang-Chong flew down to my side, the crystals around Aang began to glow, and I watched as Azula swiftly ascended the waterfall.

My hands and feet glowed pink now, as the crystals shattered and Aang, now in theAvatarState, rose into the air.

"_No_!" I shouted, pushing myself forward as I watched Azula take aim. "_Please, don't do it_!"

I leapt up into the air, and thought I heard someone call out my name, but I must've imagined it. I grabbed a hold of Aang's glowing body.

"_Brother_!" I cried, just as I felt an incredible pain course throughout my body. It felt like I was on fire, and I knew what it was like to burn. But, this was ten times worse because, being lightning, it was white hot. I didn't get hit directly, but I was sharing in maybe a tenth of the Avatar's pain right now. I was screaming, but I couldn't hear myself.

In my mind, I saw strange images. Sokka and Toph had managed to escape, with the Earth King and his pet bear, but Kai had been forced to stay behind – she couldn't run anymore, and Tai-Lung was staying behind to help her, turning against his fellow Dai Li agents. The Dai Li was also going after Aiguo and Jin, for their involvement in helping me to escape. Guilty by association, I guess.

I was only dimply aware if anything as Aang and I fell. There was a horrific burn mark on his back, and also one on the sole of his left foot where the lightning had exited.

I managed to flip myself and land properly, still holding Aang's body as Katara was suddenly by our side.

The look on her face I will never forget. I realized that, if this was bad for me, then it was an infinite amount of times worse for her. Tears ran down her face, as she looked at me with a lost and hopeless look.

I looked at Aang. My hand was still on his chest.

There was no heart beat.

On the contrary, _my_ heart was now racing, as Zuko and Azula advanced on us.

Zuko had his eyes locked on me. Leaving Aang with Katara, I stood up shakily, placing myself between my surrogate siblings and the advancing Firebenders.

"_Not another step_." I commanded, though my arms and legs were shaking.

A blast of fire suddenly hit the ground from above, landing mostly near Azula.

Uncle Iroh jumped down from the cliff and landed between me and his niece and nephew.

"You've got to get out of here!" He shouted. "I'll hold them off as long as I can!"

Behind me, Katara made her escape so swiftly she was practically flying. As she reached the waterfall to ascend it, a pair of stone hands suddenly grabbed my ankles.

"Huh?" I gasped, as another stone hand grabbed my left arm.

The Dai Li were suddenly upon me, and I didn't have the energy left to hold them off. Iroh had his own hands full, fighting off Zuko and Azula.

Halfway up the waterfall, I saw Katara hesitate.

"_Go_!" I yelled to her. "_Get him out of here and get out of Ba Sing Se! Take Yang-Chong_!"

Yang-Chong gave a musical cry, one that told me he _wasn't_ going to be leaving my side, ever again.

"Go…" I whispered, just as pink light began to swirl around me, mixing with the dirt and crystals.

Like the time at the North Pole, I felt my body begin to vanish, into the pink light, and once again I saw the games room at home. It had been so long since I'd been there, longer than it had _ever_ been before but, I saw, the coffee table with the rose on it, my tea cup…and the TV, with _that_ movie still paused to an exact scene.

I knew that I was fading, that I was going back, but did I have enough energy left to pull myself _back_ into this world?

Yes. I. Did.

"_But I'm staying_!" I shouted and, with a slight crackle of electricity, just like last time, I reappeared within the crystal catacombs.

Katara and Aang were gone, and Iroh had surrendered, but Yang-Chong was perched on the shoulder of the woman, Zhu, and looking sadly at me, bound by the Dai Li's rocky hands.

I looked at him gratefully, before glancing over at Prince Zuko, who had a stunned look on his face.

We locked gazes for a second, and then he gasped. "Emma!" He cried in alarm, and I felt it too.

Blood trickled down my neck, from the spot where Azula's lightning had sliced into it.

I raised my free hand, my right hand, and touched the blood that was there.

"Z-Zuko…" I stammered, falling forwards suddenly, and into the blackness…


	42. Wake Me Up Inside

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

Wake Me Up Inside

_Suddenly, Azula's hands glowed gold. She looked down at them for a moment, and then I watched her gaze slide sideways to look at a golden-haired lady who had just entered the cavern…Zhu…_

_"So that's how it is?" Azula murmured._

_"That's how it is." Zhu nodded._

_O~O~O~O_

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

**I'd like to thank all of my wonderful reviewers:**

**I can't write all of your names down, BUT YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! !**

**You guys are great, I've gotten more reviews for this piece than I've ever gotten before! I'm having a lot of fun with it, and I'll continue to write as long as you guys want to keep reading it!**

**Okay, so Book Two: Earth, is finally finished! Now we're onto the last one, Book Three: Fire!**

_O~O~O~O_

When a girl named Emma was transported from her world to a mystical realm she had only heard about in stories, she spent months trying to find her place in this warring world.

Emma at first travelled around with the banished Prince of the Fire Nation, Zuko. They argued a lot but had many adventures together, until the Fire Nation's siege of the Northern Water Tribe, where Emma ultimately decided to team up with the Fire Nation's enemies: A Waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe named Katara, her older brother Sokka and their friend Aang – as the Avatar, Aang's ability of being able to control all four elements and bring harmony to the world made him the Fire Nation's biggest threat. If Aang could master all four elements by summer's end, then he could defeat the ruthless Fire Lord before a comet arrived and empowered the Fire Nation enough for them to win the war.

Emma and her new friends travelled to the Earth Kingdom, where they hoped to find Aang and Earthbending teacher. There they met Toph,a blind but extremely talented young Earthbender, who agreed to become Aang's teacher. Though there were a few shaky moments, the five of them became a strong team. Emma didn't forget about Zuko, though.

Though the now fugitive Prince Zuko and his Uncle Iroh had momentarily stopped hunting down the Avatar, there was a new threat for them all in the form of Zuko's younger, but much crueller sister Azula. She and her two friends chased after Team Avatar, at the same time setting the Fire Nation's sights on the EarthKingdom capital of Ba Sing Se.

Emma discovered she could also Earthbend, leading her friends to wonder just who – or what – she was back in her own world. Strange and supernatural occurrences also led Emma one step closer to finding out more about being a Priestess.

While in an underground library, the team made discoveries about a solar eclipse that seemed like the perfect time to invade the Fire Nation. Unfortunately, Emma was captured and separated from her friends. Aang's Flying Bison was also stolen and, without their mode of transportation, the rest of the team was forced to travel to Ba Sing Se on foot. Sokka was briefly reunited with an old friend, at the same time Zuko and Iroh travelled to Ba Sing Se along with an old friend of Emma's, a fellow Fire Nation fugitive named Karai; and some old acquaintances of the first three members of Team Avatar, an orphan named Jet and his two Freedom Fighters.

Everyone eventually ended up in Ba Sing Se, where Zuko became engaged in a battle within himself, over whether or not to continue hunting the Avatar to restore his honour. Aang was reunited with Appa, but became doubtful when a Guru told him he could only master the powerful Avatar State by letting go of Katara – the girl he had come to love. Jet lost his life in a battle with Ba Sing Se's secret police, the Dai Li who, in turn, began conspiring with Princess Azula, who was undergoing Priestess training that was similar to Emma's. The Dai Li and Azula overthrew the Earth King, and seized control of Ba Sing Se.

Zuko betrayed his Uncle and joined his sister in attacking Aang and Katara. Emma's involvement in the battle caused hesitation, as her relationship with the protective Prince Zuko had recently become more pronounced. While in the AvatarState, Aang was shot down and killed by Azula, and Emma and Iroh both sacrificed their freedom to allow Katara time to escape with Aang.

The EarthKingdom has fallen…

Emma lies bloodied and beaten in the arms of her torn Prince…

The Avatar is dead…his one true love has only one hope…

Can she bring him back to life?

_O~O~O~O_

**Aang's P.O.V:**

_Aurgh…where am I? _Who_ am I, anyway…what's going on here?_

_This…this is not the same as it was before…where…? !_

_My eyes opened with a snap, and I found myself standing in the middle of a…_

_"What the…where in the world _am_ I?" I gasped, looking around me in complete shock._

_Everywhere I looked, there were people, very tall buildings with glass on them, and…machines that were moving quickly in three lanes…driving along on four wheels, or sometimes more…sometimes less…_

_This place was busy and crowded and confusing._

_Amazing…but, still confusing, especially for me right now…_

_I rubbed my eyes, and stared around me in shock._

_"I…_don't_ think that I'm in my own world anymore…" I realized, seeing unfamiliar symbols written on the side of buildings. I looked around me wildly, feeling panic well up in my chest. Where was Katara? And Emma? What about Zuko and Azula? What had happened? Where _was_ I?_

_"Excuse me?" I called to a nearby woman, who wore a scarf around her head and seemed preoccupied. "Can you please tell me where I…?"_

_She walked straight past me!_

_"Huh…I guess she didn't hear me…" I muttered, looking all around me._

_Just then, I saw a building with symbols on it that, to my immense relief, I recognized._

_"Inter-Continental-Hotel." I read out loud, and smiled in relief, glad that I had recognized _something_._

_I walked forwards, but then jumped back when one of those machines whizzed past me. I clutched my chest, breathing heavily for a moment, before I stepped tentatively out onto the area where these machines seemed to be allowed to go, and then ran all the way across until I reached the doors of the Inter-Continental-Hotel building._

_The doors were being held open by a man who looked sort of Water Tribe-ish, and I said thank you but I don't think he heard me._

_Just then, my heart seemed to stand still. For, standing in the very large room, complete with a wide staircase leading up to a second level, was none other than…_

_"Emma!" I called to her, running towards where she was going. She didn't hear me, and was instead talking to the woman she was with. The woman was maybe in her late forties, with wavy shoulder-length hair the colour of gold except it was darker, and she was quite a bit bigger than Emma, too. I knew it was Emma, despite her extremely short hair. Had she cut it recently? It was her, though, and she looked very worried. I thought I knew why. The woman she was with was clutching a piece of cloth to her nose, and both were stained with blood!_

_"It's okay, Mum," Emma was saying, as they stood in another room with five metal doors on the wall. I stopped still. This lady was her _Mother_! "We'll get up to the room, and you can lie down…"_

_"I'm fine, Emma, stop worrying…" The woman replied, and just then there was a ding, and the metal doors opened._

_Emma and her Mother walked through the doors, which closed behind them._

_"Emma, wait!" I called to her, running after her, and running straight into the doors…and running right on through! "AHHHH! ! !" I yelled, as I fell through time and space and nothingness…_

_O~O~O~O_

I awoke with a start, crying out and flailing about, before realizing that I was lying in a bed. I looked at the floor for a moment, before looking at the banner on the wall.

"Oh no!" I cried in panic, realizing that I was on a Fire Nation ship! Did I get captured? ! What about Katara? Was Emma okay? What about the others? ! What had happened to the city? !

I scrambled from the room, using my staff to support me because I was in so much pain right now. What had happened? I remembered going into theAvatarState, and Emma yelling something, and then there was a lot of pain and then…I was here.

Panic rose up in my chest, especially when I saw Fire Nation soldiers, but I managed to escape from them and run from the corridors of the Fire Nation ship, and out onto the deck, where I was greeted by the sight of…

"Momo?" Momo was with two Fire Nation soldiers, and one was scratching the lemur's chin.

I had fallen to the deck, and my staff slid away from me but, just then, Katara and Toph came running over tome, and Katara hugged me and Momo at the same time.

It was like I was dreaming. Katara and Toph were both in Fire Nation cloaks…and…was Sokka dressed in full Fire Nation uniform? ! What was _happening_?

I heard Toph say: "Uh-oh, somebody catch him, he's gonna…"

I blacked out.

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

_I stared ahead of me in confusion, at the confusing scene that was taking place before me._

_An old woman I didn't recognize, but knew that she must be Fire Nation, stood in a courtyard, where two younger girls were as well. They appeared to be about sixteen. All were very well-dressed and appeared to be royalty or, at the very least, nobility._

_The older woman spoke. "Now, try again…"_

_One of the two girls nodded, and concentrated on something only she could see. She was very pretty, and had long dark hair and kind eyes._

_The other one had blonde hair, and I gasped in shock._

_A bright light appeared around the dark-haired girls hands, and a number of small birds flew out of the tree nearby and onto her arms. She giggled._

_"Very good, Ursa!" The old woman exclaimed. "Now you, Zhu?"_

_"I can't get it!" The younger version of Zhu pouted. "Ursa's better at it than me…"_

_"Aww, that's not true…" Teenage Ursa smiled. "It's just that it's an overcast day, and your powers are of the Sun, Zhu…"_

_Zhu sighed. "I'm never gonna get it…" She complained. "Lady Ta Min…why don't you just teach Ursa instead?"_

_"Because your Mother chose me as your teacher, as did Ursa…" Ta Min replied calmly. "And, teach you both I will…you will both make _fine_ young Priestesses…ready?" She held her hand sup, and the sky began to glow blue._

_I was lost in the sea of blue, and I awoke with a start.  
>O~O~O~O<em>

I awoke to find myself on a Fire Nation ship and, instinct took over, and I decided to get out of there. I had to find Aang and the others! What had happened? !

Pain shot through my neck when I stood up, and my limbs felt heavy and lifeless. I stood for a moment to steady myself, waiting for the dizzy feeling to pass. I put a bandaged hand to my forehead, and tried to remember what had happened.

Zuko had betrayed his Uncle and teamed up with Azula to take on Aang and Katara. A Priestess named Zhu showed up, and then Aang went into the AvatarState…which was about the time Azula shot and killed him with lightning…  
>"Aang…" I whispered. Tears were in my eyes. "I hope Katara brought you back…" I just <em>couldn't<em> accept the fact that Aang might be dead…the world still needed him…I still needed him…_Katara_ still needed him…

Life without your partner was pointless.

I staggered down the hallway, intent on finding out what was going on.

Life without love had no meaning.

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I stood on the deck of the ship, one that was taking me back to the Fire Nation – back home. So much had happened to me…my head was so foggy at the moment, and my entire body felt numb.

One thing was for certain. I hadn't expected it to be like this _at all_. I'd never wanted to betray my Uncle, even though Azula was very clear in stating that _he'd_ betrayed _us_. I thought she might be right. He'd stood there facing us, allowing Katara to escape with the Avatar's body. The fact that my sister had _murdered_ somebody was…unsettling. She'd also attempted to kill Emma…my fists clenched on the railings. I remembered it all so clearly, so painfully sharp in my mind.

Emma's body, glowing with pink light, grabbing hold on the Avatar as she called him 'brother', and then Azula's lightning had hit them both. She'd barely been conscious when she fell, but she'd still been able to stand between us and them, hands held out, eyes fiercely glaring into my own. She'd almost vanished into pink light, startling us all, but she'd said that she was staying, and had reappeared. What had she meant? Had she been going back to her own world? Blood had been cascading down her neck, but she hadn't become aware of it until just before she'd fainted. I'd caught her, and the feeling of holding onto her pale, cold body, the image of her looking so lifeless with blood stains on her neck…I shivered. I felt so guilty right now, because it was my fault she was in this state.

"Are you cold?" A calm voice asked, and I looked to my right to see Mai.

Confusion clouded my thoughts. I was instantly reminded of the mental list I'd compiled back at the resort. In the crystal catacombs, Emma had said she had something to tell me, and had called Azula a monster for mocking the suggestion that Emma might…_love_ me…I gulped. _Did_ Emma love me? We hadn't said it to each other…I'd never had a girlfriend before, but I imagined that Emma was the closest thing I'd ever had to one. She cared about me, although she seemed to be a little bit torn between caring for me and helping the Avatar.

Mai, on the other hand, was Azula's best friend, and I knew that a relationship with her would be…acceptable.

Which was why I allowed myself to kiss her back when her lips touched mine.

It wasn't at _all_ like kissing _Emma_…Mai's lips were cold, without any taste, whereas Emma's warm lips had tasted of tea that time I'd kissed her. However, where Emma had frozen, not knowing how to react, Mai's kiss was expert. It lacked that tingling I'd received when kissing Emma, but it wasn't unpleasant.

Just then, there was a sharp, musical cry from my left, and Mai and I broke apart to see Yang-Chong perched on the ship railing, staring at me with as much hostility as a bird can muster. He let out a softer cry then, and looked past me.

On an instinct, I looked to my right, to see Emma standing there, staring at me and Mai.

The moon came out from behind the clouds just then, bathing all of us in its blue light.

Emma had bandages on her wrist where Azula had burned her, and specially designed bandages on her neck where the lightning had cut her. Another bandage was wrapped around her right ankle injury, but I don't know what that was from.

It was the look on her face that really sent ice running through my veins. She had absolutely no expression on her bruised face, but I got the impression that she wanted to kill Mai, and possibly me as well.

Not that she could do much damage right now, judging by the condition of her body. She limped towards me and Mai, and I glanced sideways at Mai to see her staring at Emma with a bored look on her face, although there was disdain in her dark amber eyes.

Emma, however, kept her eyes trained on me and, when she was a few feet away from me, she stopped and, wordlessly, held out her hand.

Mai and I stared at it for a moment, and then I saw a trickle of red blood on her neck – she'd started to bleed through her bandages.

Realising then what she wanted, I reached up and took off the red ribbon with the yin-yang pendant from around my neck, and handed it to her.

Our hands touched for a brief moment, sending a jolt down the length of my arm. For a split-second, a light gleamed in her eyes, but then her expression became closed again, and she withdrew her hand.

Turning around, she began to limp back across the deck, heading towards the door she had appeared silently through.

"Emma, wait!" I began, reaching out but Mai grabbed my arm. "Your neck!"

Emma stopped when she reached the door. Her head was down, and her shoulders shook ever so slightly.

Guilt tore through me like wildfire.

Suddenly, Yang-Chong took flight and, in that instant, a huge wave rocked the ship, and water splashed over both Mai and me. The water around our imperial ship suddenly became choppy and uneven, and the boat rocked.

As Mai and I steadied ourselves, I looked to the spot where Emma and Yang-Chong had disappeared, and closed my eyes briefly, feeling the pounding of the waves which had become a reflection of Emma's emotions…

And, it was all my fault.

_O~O~O~O_

**Aang's P.O.V:**

I was back in my room, about to receive a healing session via Waterbending, and trying to absorb some new information.

I'd been out for a few weeks, and now I was no longer bald. I guess a few weeks of not shaving could do that to you. I'd met Chief Hakoda, Katara's Father, although she seemed a little bit upset with him right now – she spoke very sharply to him, and I could tell that something was bothering her, but she didn't want to talk about it.

As Katara bended the water on my back, I became aware of what had happened back in the crystal catacombs.

It was a painful experience, even now. I saw myself going into theAvatarState, and then getting shot by lightning.

I'd died, but…Katara had brought me back. She said she used the water from the Spirit Oasis.

In my memory, I also saw Emma, and heard her screaming as blood spurted from her neck.

I gasped. "Emma!" I looked at Katara. "Where is she? Is she okay?"

Sadness flashed in Katara's eyes, before she looked away from me. "You need to rest…we'll talk more about this later…" I heard the pain in her voice though, and it was enough to worry me.

What had happened to Emma? She'd been shot with Azula's lightning as well…but, had Katara been able to heal her, or…?

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I opened my eyes, to find myself looking at the same doctor who had treated me many months ago on Admiral Zhao's ship. I recognized him instantly, even though he had now grown a beard.

"Wh-where am I?" I asked weakly, looking around. I was in a very large room, which had dark red walls and beautiful ornate furnishings. The bed I was in was soft, with red curtains on each side and light red (pink?) bed-sheets. Yang-Chong was perched on the back of a chair by my bedside, gazing at me intently with bright blue eyes. I became aware of the temperature then, and gasped. "I'm in the Fire Nation, aren't I? !" I knew straight away that I must be.

The doctor nodded calmly, and then firmly but gently grabbed my shoulders and made me lie back down again when I tried to sit up. "Now, just _calm_ down, you're still healing." He told me.

"How can I be _calm_? !" I exclaimed. "Doctor…?"

"Shen Nung." He said.

"Doctor Shen Nung," I repeated. "Nice name. Anyway, how the _hell_ can I stay calm when I'm in the _Fire Nation_? !" I gave him a Look. "How long has it taken to get here?"

"A few weeks," Shen Nung replied, still calm. "We are at the Fire Nation Capital, within the palace…"

"That's even _worse_!" I exclaimed. The Fire Nation Capital – right in the Fire Lord's very own _home_! I was starting to panic, and didn't want to lie still because of the adrenaline that was now being pumped through me.

"Please try to stop moving so much, Milady. Your body is still healing." Shen Nung told me.

"I just need some water and I'll be…wait…" I looked at him, confused. "What did you just call me?"

Shen Nung ignored me, and instead filled a cup with some sort of liquid that looked like water. "Here, drink this." He said, helping me to sit up.

I drained the cup, and immediately felt drowsy. Damn, what did I just _drink_? !

"What did you…call me…?" I asked sleepily, falling back onto my pink pillow. "Why…Milady…?"

"Just rest now," Shen Nung told me. "We'll talk more about this, later…"

"Wait…where's…Zuko…?" I mumbled, trying to fight off the waves of sleep. "Oh, forget it…he doesn't…care…"

I didn't hear what the doctor said in response to that, and it didn't matter, because I knew that Zuko didn't care about me anymore. He'd kissed Mai.

He didn't care…

_O~O~O~O_

As I came to again, I started worrying about my friends. I prayed that Katara had managed to revive Aang using her Spirit Water, and I hoped that they were okay.

I knew that they were onboard their captured Fire Nation ship, had just been found out and were now fighting for their lives. The whole world thought that Aang was dead, which was both good and bad. Aang wanted to restore his honor, Katara was going to have to make amends with her Father, and…did they know that I had survived?

"This is so…messed up…" I murmured, squeezing my eyes shut tighter and then opening them again. Shen Nung was no longer in the room.

I looked over at the chair where Yang-Chong had been, to find it now occupied by somebody else.

I looked at Azula, and she looked at me.

Then, on instinct, I leapt up, jumping out of the bed and landing halfway across the other side of the room, moving into a defensive stance and facing Azula, who hadn't moved. Huh?

The Fire Nation Princess yawned, and said: "Good to see you're alive and awake." She sounded sarcastic. "Oh, and don't worry, I'm not going to attack you." She gave me a piercing stare. "We're on the same side now."

"We'll _never_ be on the same side," I told her coldly. "Not after what you did, _murderer_."

She sighed. "So dramatic…you're worse than my brother…" She smiled slightly when she saw me shift at the mention of the Prince. "Anyway, I came here to take you to the baths. You can use water to heal yourself, correct?"

"_Yes_…" I replied, suspicious.

"Then you'll be able to fix yourself up to be presentable enough to meet my Father." Azula told me calmly.

My eyes widened in horror. "M-meet your _Father_? !" I exclaimed, taking a few steps back. Azula watched me, looking slightly amused. "N-no, no _way_!" I shook my head vehemently, and then winced when my neck hurt. "There is no way in _hell_, he is…I mean…I've heard…he…I…Zuko is one thing, _you_ were my enemy for so long that…" I was about to say that I wasn't afraid of her, but saw her raise her eyebrow and decided against it. The statement was also only half true, and she knew it. "But your _Father_…he's…I mean, he's _Fire Lord_…he's practically conquered an _entire world_, and this sort of thing doesn't _happen_ where I come from! I don't _know_ royalty!"

"Yes, I can see that." Azula replied, finally standing up. "When you meet my Father, be sure to speak only when spoken to, call him either 'Milord' or 'Sire' or something like that, and keep your temper down. You'll find he is not as forgiving as my brother and I."

I rolled my eyes. _Azula's not forgiving…the murdering monster…_ I actually smiled slightly when I thought this. Azula had reacted so strongly to me calling her a monster in the catacombs because she thought her own Mother had thought of her as one. She also believed that Princess Ursa had been _right_, but of course it still hurt…

It had been kind of mean for me to call her that, actually. Just because _she_ was cruel and played on other peoples' emotions, didn't mean that _I_ had to.

"Umm, Princess Azula?" I said.

She stopped in the doorway. "Yes, what is it?"

"Umm…" I looked down at the carpet. "Umm…I'm…sorry…about what I said, back in Ba Sing Se…" I mumbled.

"Which part?" She asked, sounding bored.

"Uh, most of it…" I replied.

She turned around and looked at me. The look in her eyes was suddenly hostile, and I flinched. "I don't particularly care about nor do I _need_ your apologies, so save your breath." She replied coldly, and turned to go. "Hurry up."

_Then again…_ I thought, rolling my eyes. _I think I _will_ just save my breath, next time!_

Still…Azula was like Zuko. She was half Ozai and half Zuko.

Zuko had Ozai's temper and looks (well, I hadn't seen Ozai in real life yet, but Zuko had to get it from somewhere), but he also had Ursa's kindness and compassion. Azula had Ozai's cruelty and the will to take over the world…which part of her was Ursa? I mean, besides her beauty…

It must be there somewhere…

"Hurry up! My Father does _not_ like to be kept waiting and, quite frankly, neither do I!"

Deep down, way, _way_ deep down…

_O~O~O~O_

I sighed, and sank down into the water, leaving only my nose out for me to breathe. The rest of me was submerged, and I allowed the water to heal me, to wash away all of the pain. It was soothing, and I felt my neck, arm and leg tingle, healing the horrific injuries on there.

_I don't get it…why is Azula being nice to me? She tried to kill me back in Ba Sing Se…what's with her? Can I trust her…?_ I submerged myself fully in water, letting an air bubble around my nose allow me to breathe. _No…definitely NOT. She just killed one of my best friends, my almost-brother, the Avatar and one hope for peace in this warring, messed-up world…_ I closed my eyes, feeling every drop of water on my eyelashes. _If it was bad for me, then it was a million to infinite times worse for Katara…she loves him…like…I THINK I love Zuko, but…I KNOW he was supposed to kiss Mai, But…I thought because _I_ was there, then…_ Tears leaked out of my eyes and mingled with the water. _I really, truly thought he loved me…he protected me and looked out for me…he…KISSED me…my first ever kiss, and it felt so…so wonderful…like I never wanted to kiss anyone else after that…_ I gulped, and opened my eyes to stare at the swirling water above me, at the candlelight dancing high above me. _I know Zhao kissed me, right before he died…it was in desperation, because…he KNEW. I know he did so many bad things, it was because of him that Yue had to die, but…_ I bit my lip. _He died, and he died with one final wish…that I serve the Fire Lord…I think that Ozai wants me to become his Priestess…I think he wants me to serve the Fire Nation…a dying man asked me to do this, just before saving my life…but…I can't turn against my other friends like this! Toph, and Sokka, and Katara, Suki, Aang…if he's still alive…I can't turn against them…I admit, I've never been as annoyed at them as I have at Prince Zuko, but…I think that's because I _care_ about him…no matter what, I always will, I…I can't go to anyone else now…aurgh, this is so messed up!_

I sat up quickly, splashing water absolutely everywhere in the bath-room that I was in. There were other baths, sunken ones, in the room, but thankfully I was all alone. Azula had shown me to here and then left, and I was all alone, which suited me just fine.

I rested my head back on the floor, and moved my hand up, bending some flames from nearby candles over my head.

_I sacrificed a lot to be able to do this…_ I thought, bending the flames around me in arcs, and then adding the water to it. _To be able to do what Avatar's have to train for years to do…I don't know if I made the right choice. By summer's end, I'll find out one way or the other…_ I smiled sadly. _I'll know then…_ I sighed, not knowing how long had passed but guessing when Yang-Chong flew through an open window into the room.

It was time to meet the Fire Lord.

_O~O~O~O_

I was wearing official Fire Nation robes, dark red ones with a high-necked gold collar. My hair was tied in a half-bun with a gold clip adorning it.

I was standing next to an attendant whose name I didn't know, in front of a set of huge gold-adorned doors.

I gulped. I wished Yang-Chong was with me or, better yet, Katara. She'd make sure I wasn't scared by talking me through it.

I suddenly turned to the attendant, who I didn't know from Eve, and said: "What do I say? What do I _do_? How do I _bow_? Do I address him as Sire or Milord? Where do I _walk_? ! Help me out here!" I shook her shoulders. "_Help_!"

She looked startled.

Just then, the double doors opened, and a boy my own age wearing royal red and gold robes walked out, but he stopped when he saw me.

The attendant bowed quickly. "Prince Zuko." She said respectfully.

I, however, just stared at him, feeling a zillion different emotions well up within my chest. He looked so _handsome_ but…he was no longer mine…

I was about to bow my head in respect, when a spark of defiance I hadn't felt in a long time overcame me.

Without a word, I turned from him, and walked into the room he had just come from, to face the Fire Lord…


	43. Prisoner Of The Flame

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

Prisoner Of The Flame

_In my memory, I also saw Emma, and heard her screaming as blood spurted from her neck._

_I gasped. "Emma!" I looked at Katara. "Where is she? Is she okay?"_

_Sadness flashed in Katara's eyes, before she looked away from me. "You need to rest…we'll talk more about this later…" I heard the pain in her voice though, and it was enough to worry me._

_What had happened to Emma? She'd been shot with Azula's lightning as well…but, had Katara been able to heal her, or…?_

_O~O~O~O_

**Aang's P.O.V:**

"Katara," I said quietly, standing on the volcano's beach. "What happened to Emma? Why isn't she here with us?" After all that had just happened, feeling like I had to redeem myself and then nearly drowning in a stormy sea before deciding to go along with the 'Avatar-Is-Dead' charade, I knew that I was ready to hear this.

Sokka and Toph stopped, and Katara sighed. A slight hot breeze swirled around us, blowing her hair-loopies across her face. She turned to me, and said: "She's not here because…well, we don't know what happened to her."

My heart hammered in my chest. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"Well, we were in the crystal caves beneath Ba Sing Se," Katara explained, clasping her hands in front of her. "When you went into theAvatarState, Emma panicked, and went to your side just as Azula shot you both with lightning. I thought that she hadn't gotten it as bad as you, until I saw that the lightning had sliced deep enough into her throat to cause massive bleeding."

I was silent, remembering the sound of Emma's screaming, and then the red blood splattering us both. I took a deep breath, and asked: "What happened next?"

"Azula and Zuko were coming towards us," Katara replied, still in that same subdued voice. "Emma handed you to me, before standing between them and us, even when she was injured. With her and Zuko's Uncle there, I was able to escape with you. I saw Emma get grabbed by a number of Dai Li agents. I was torn between going back to help her, and getting you out of danger. Emma shouted to me to get you out of Ba Sing Se. Then, she began to disappear into this strange pink light, and…" Katara lowered her head. "That's the last I saw of her…"

"So…she's still…okay, then?" I asked, not wanting to say what I _knew_ we were all thinking.

Sokka shrugged. "Nobody knows. It's possible she's still okay, and if so then she was probably taken back to the Fire Nation…" He shifted his eyes sideways. "Which, when you think about it, probably means she's _not_ okay…"

Toph elbowed him.

"At any rate," Katara looked up. "We're going to invade the Fire Nation on the day of the eclipse. If Emma's there, then…" She bit her lip.

"Then we can rescue her and defeat the Fire Lord, all on the same day." I stated firmly. "On The Day Of Black Sun…"

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

The Fire Lord's throne room was exactly how it's pictured in the cartoon. It was spacious and filled with dark, ornate pillars. Separating the Fire Lord from me was a trench of fire.

I was having trouble controlling my breathing as I walked slowly forwards, still limping slightly. I still had a lot of inner-bruising, and my scars had now healed to white marks across my neck and wrist. They were hidden, thankfully, by my long robes. I kept my eyes downcast, and my pace careful and respectful. Every step I took brought me closer to the man who had carried on the war that had started one hundred years ago. The man who had burned the face of his son, and then banished said son.

The man who had wreaked havoc on this poor world for far too long now…

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something silvery and ghost-like and, when I slid my gaze sideways, the ghost I had seen a few months ago was there, walking beside me.

With a handsome face and familiar features, I realised at once who this must be, why I had seen him before and why he was here now.

The ghost of Lu-Ten walked beside me, and I matched his pace and posture exactly. When he stopped, I stopped, and he sank to his knees and bowed, deeply and respectfully. I copied his movements, touching my forehead to the floor.

I stayed like that, and waited.

After what seemed like an eternity, but really it was only a minute, I heard a voice speaking. It was deep, had authority and, if Lu-Ten hadn't been there, then I would have probably fainted or something equally as embarrassing.

"We meet at last, Emma."

I stayed silent, hardly daring to breathe.

I heard the shifting sound of robes, and knew that the Fire Lord had just stood up. "I have heard so much about you…the young lady who hails from another _world_. A Priestess…and an Avatar…"

I remained still.

"Please rise, and speak with me." The Fire Lord said.

Lu-Ten moved first, lifting his upper body up, but staying in a respectful, kneeling position. I copied him, but kept my eyes downcast.

"Look at me."

I flinched. When Ozai said that…he sounded so much like Prince Zuko, that it was extremely unnerving for me.

I suddenly felt a ghostly cold hand resting on mine and, when I slid my gaze sideways, Lu-Ten's ghost was looking at me, smiling reassuringly. His smile was so much like Uncle Iroh's and, for that reason, I allowed myself to lift my head and finally look upon the face of Fire Lord Ozai.

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I didn't understand why Azula had done what she did, until she hinted that she had suspicions that the Avatar was still alive.

If that was true, then all of my glory would turn to shame. I'd be a miserable failure once again, and the thought of that was enough to terrify me slightly. I'd worked so hard to make my Father love me, and if I lost that respect and honour _now_…I didn't think I'd be able to handle it…

I also had another problem, and it involved Emma. What was I supposed to _do_ about this? I mean, it wasn't exactly like we'd been going out or anything, so…why was I feeling so _guilty_? I'd thought that coming back here would solve all my problems, but instead it had just created a whole lot of new ones.

Emma and my Uncle had been there for me, but in the end they'd both betrayed me. Mai and my Father, on the other hand…

There was just one unnerving problem with all this, however.

It was Emma's resemblance to my Mother. It had grown, along with her hair and, when I'd seen her in Fire Nation robes, it had absolutely struck home.

I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that if _I_ saw it, then…my Father was going to see it too.

I didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I looked up into the face of the man who had succeeded in conquering the EarthKingdom, and felt my heart-rate begin to escalate. _Nothing_ could have prepared me for this and, I knew without doubt, Zuko _had_ gotten his good looks from his Father…

I gulped, wanting nothing more than to look away from those intense golden eyes, but also unable to tear my gaze away. Fear was welling up inside of me, coupled with the uncertainty of the situation, and the fact that this was a person I had not met before. If not for Lu-Ten's ghost next to me, I wouldn't have had the courage to keep on looking at his Uncle.

As Ozai's gaze deepened slightly, and I sat there feeling cold, I wondered what was going to happen next. Ozai spoke again. "I want you to know, so that there are no misconceptions, that you are my honoured guest here." I couldn't keep the look of surprise off my face then. "I welcome you, Priestess Emma."

I wondered then if I should say something, and felt Lu-Ten's hand tighten around my own.

_I am honoured to be here, Milord._ The Prince said, although his ghostly eyes told a different story.

I swallowed, feeling the pressure mounting, and then repeated the words Lu-Ten had spoken, in my own melodic voice.

Ozai was still standing in front of me, and continued speaking after a moment. "My children have told me much about you…about the world you come from…about your powers…"

_What did he hear?_ Lu-Ten wondered.

"What did you hear, Milord?" I asked quietly. My voice was shaking. Zuko told him about me? About _us_? This was not good!

"I have come to understand the uniqueness of your special powers, Priestess," Ozai told me. "You have shown considerable talent in being able to bend, and you were able to hold your own against Azula. I am impressed – not many can match my daughter's skill level."

I wanted to say that I had just gotten lucky, but I knew better than to contradict the Fire Lord, so I said nothing. I didn't understand, though. Why was he praising me so much? Why had he been so interested in me in the first place?

"I have waited a very long time for this day to come," Ozai went on, now walking to my right and coming to stand a few feet behind me. I kept my eyes forward, finally glad to not have to keep eye-contact with him anymore. "This is the day when your destiny intertwines itself with the Fire Nation."

My breath hitched in my throat. Ozai was sounding a _lot_ like Zhao, now…I remembered Zhao telling me to serve the Fire Lord as a Priestess, right before dying…the final request from a dying man…could I ignore it?

Ozai seemed to notice my reaction, and probably guessed its meaning. He chose to ignore it, though, and walked around to the front of me again.

I kept my gaze down, until he told me to look at him, and I had no choice but to.

Ozai's gaze was intense. "While you are here," He told me. "The palace is your home. You are free to go anywhere you wish, and the palace servants will cater to your every need. They will address you with respect, and treat you as such."

I drew in a breath. Why? What did this all mean?

Ozai raised his right hand, and beckoned for somebody to come forwards. The same attendant who had shown me to the throne room came forwards, holding a small shallow box with something resting on a red velvet cushion on it. She bowed deeply, holding the box out to the Fire Lord, who reached forwards and took a gold chain with a small gold ring on it from upon the red cushion.

The firelight danced across the golden ring, and my heart started to beat faster.

"Rise." Ozai said to me, and I did so.

Lu-Ten's ghost stayed with me as the Fire Lord came forwards until he was standing directly in front of me. My head was level with his chest – he was a very tall man.

Ozai lifted the chain over my head, and let it settle around my neck.

"This is the symbol of the Fire Nation Royal Family," He told me. "You will be recognized because of it. Guard it well."

What did he mean 'guard it well'?

The chain felt like the weight of the world around my neck.

_O~O~O~O_

The next day, I felt the full impact of what was happening. I woke up the same way, to see the sun shining in through my window, and reflecting off Yang-Chong's feathers. He seemed a little frazzled, though, so I knew his burning day was drawing nearer.

I got out of bed and stretched, and then let out a yelp when a sharp stabbing of pain shot through me. Stupid injuries.

The doors to my new room opened immediately, and an old Fire Nation lady came hurrying in. She wore long robes, and a concerned expression on her face.

"Are you alright, Milady?" She asked worriedly, bowing respectfully to me. "Should I fetch Doctor Shen Nung?"

"No, no, no, I'm fine, it just hurts from before." I assured her, as Yang-Chong woke up and stared at the lady in confusion.

"Are you sure?" The servant put a hand on my right hand, which still bore a few bandages around some of the fingers.

"Yes." I replied, feeling embarrassed. "I'm fine…"

"Very well then." The lady nodded. "Someone will be by to wash and dress you, and then escort you to breakfast."

"I…what?" I blinked. "I don't need someone to help me…"

The lady waved her hand. "Nonsense, Milady, you're still healing! Someone will also be coming to attend to your phoenix."

Yang-Chong gave her a Look that clearly said: _Yeah, right_…

The ghost of Lu-Ten stood by the door when the attendant walked out, and then turned to me.

_That's how it is here, I'm afraid._ He told me, looking sympathetic. _People do everything for you, and they don't listen. It was the life I grew up with. I hated it._

"I don't know what to do." I told him, sitting back down on my bed with a sigh, and holding the ring on the chain in my hand. It had a strange warmth about it, and actually looked like it would fit onto one of my fingers. "What _is_ this thing, anyway?" I asked Lu-Ten. "Why did Ozai give it to me? Why am I even _here_?"

Lu-Ten came over and sat on the bed beside me, the sunlight shining through his ghostly grey figure. "I know you're scared. You're not sure who you can trust right now, and you feel so alone."

I nodded, as Yang-Chong flew over to me and landed on my knee. I absently petted his feathers. "Your Uncle wants me to become a Priestess, you Father's in prison, your cousins possibly hate me right now, and I don't know if Aang and the others are even okay right now!" I lowered my head. "This is _so_ messed up right now! It's just so confusing! What should I _do_, Lu-Ten? Who can I go to for advice?"

Just then, some female attendants came into my room, so I didn't get to answer Lu-Ten when he suggested: _You should ask my Father about it._

I thought that I _would_…if I got a chance to, that is…

_O~O~O~O_

**Azula's P.O.V:**

That evening, I climbed the volcano to find my brother and my best friend…well, I guessed that they were officially a couple now. I smirked inwardly. Emma was _not_ going to be happy about this, although she might already know, which would have explained her disappearance.

After getting rid of Mai, and then verbally chastising my brother for going to see Uncle that day, I received a glare from my big brother.

"Did you come here just to tell me all that?" He wanted to know.

I sighed. "No, actually, I came here to see if you know where Emma is."

"Why would I know that?" Zuko turned away from me.

I examined my fingernails. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was under the impression that you two were friends. Well, it seems that no one has seen her all day, and I _hate_ to think how Father will react when he finds out…imagine if she's run away…"

Zuko sat up a little straighter. "Why are you telling me all this?"

I smirked slightly. "Don't take me for an idiot, Zuzu – I knew that there was something going on between the two of you. The way you looked at her, the way she acted around you…" I watched the guarded expression on my brother's scarred face carefully. "Anyway, while I approve of your relationship with Mai, I think Emma's still got feelings for you. It must be hard for you to look at her, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?" He asked angrily.

"Don't act dumb with me, Zuko." I replied. "I can see just as well as you can how much she resembles our Mother! Everyone's been saying it, so I imagine that you wouldn't want to lose _both_ of them…the only two people who ever _loved_ you…and you've lost them both…"

Zuko stood up. "Azula, _why_ are you doing this? !" He asked, his fists clenched. "My relationship with Emma has _nothing_ to do with you, or anyone, so just _stay_ out of it!" He stalked past me.

"So you _do_ still have feelings for her," I called to his retreating figure. "I wonder how _Mai_ will react when she finds out…"

Zuko whirled around. "Azula, just _stay_ out of my way!" He shouted. "You have no idea what you're talking about!"

I laughed sardonically. "Don't I? Ah, Zuzu, I know a great deal more than you think…Emma and I have _so_ much in common, after all…" I smiled, enjoying the look of pain that flitted across my brother's face. He was _so_ easy to get to…

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I walked through the halls of the prison, keeping my cloak pulled up around my face. My footsteps sounding louder than they should have, but maybe it was just because I was nervous. Ozai had said that I was free to go wherever I wanted, but I'm not sure this is what he had in mind.

I was following my own intuition right then, because I had no idea where I was going. I was sure that I was lost, and it was hard enough to avoid all the guards. I had to jump up and grab onto the ceiling three times, like a ninja.

I saw whispy trails of silver ghosts moving through the hallways and, on and impulse, I followed them. Where I walked, the flames on the candles on either side of the corridor extinguished, bathing my trail in darkness.

_O~O~O~O_

**Iroh's P.O.V:**

I heard the cell door open slowly, and hesitant footsteps enter. The door closed quietly, almost as if whoever was coming in was afraid to be found out here.

"Uncle?" A soft, melodic voice whispered. "It's me…"

My eyes widened, and I turned around quickly to see Emma standing there, looking unsure of herself. She also looked…_beautiful_. Her cloak was of the finest Fire Nation material, and her hair was tied up in a style that was reminiscent of my sister-in-law. The look on her face, however, was one I recognized. Tears had gathered in her golden eyes.

"Emma." I said simply, holding out my hands to her.

"Uncle Iroh…" She hurried forwards, her cloak flying off behind her to reveal Fire Nation royal robes. She fell to her knees on the other side of the bars, and put her hands through them to grasp my own. "Oh my God, how could this have _happened_ to you?"

"Do not worry about me," I told her calmly. "I am going to be fine. It is _you_ that I am worried about."

She sniffled. "I know…being here in the palace…it's so…I don't know." She rested her head against the bars. "Everything's so messed up right now, I don't know where to start…"

"Why don't you start at the beginning?" I suggested, wiping away a tear from her face. She nodded. "I'm sorry I don't have any tea here, like I usually do…" I added.

A small smile formed on her face. "I do…I brought the water too." She reached into the pocket of her robes and pulled out a cloth bundle. From it she took out two tea cups and a small bag of tea leaves. She then pulled a water skin from under her robes, and said: "I haven't used this on anyone, so don't worry."

I chuckled, and showed her how to make the tea, just like back in Ba Sing Se. We heated the water using Firebending, and then she sat down with her back leaning against the bars.

"Now," I said, sipping from my tea cup. "Tell me _everything_…"

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"So, being here is not at all like what I'm used to." I explained, using Waterbending to swirl the last remnants of tea left in my tea cup. I formed two orbs of water that danced around each other. "In between worrying about you, my friends and what on earth I'm going to do about your family, I'm just feeling so out of my comfort zone. I don't think I was made to live in a place with so many…_restrictions_. Even though I'm allowed to go everywhere…it's all just so _uncertain_…" I sighed.

"I believe that in one's life there are two circles," Iroh told me. "There is the circle of influence. These are things that are in our immediate control, things we can _influence_. Then, there is the circle of _interest_, which is made up of things we may _want_ to change, but _can't_." He sounded as wise as he always had.

I observed the two orbs I was bending. "Sooo…what you're saying," I said, slowly, trying to reason with this. "Is that I should focus on the things I _can_ affect, and try to stop worrying about the things that I _can't_?"

"I am not going to _tell_ you what to do," Iroh replied calmly. "For, I believe that there will be many others who are doing that to you at the moment."

I sighed in frustration, and swallowed the two orbs of tea. "Everyone follows you around and does everything for you here! It's so artificial, because they're being _ordered_ to be nice to me and call me 'Milady'."

I heard the clink of a tea cup as Iroh set his down. "They call you 'Milady'?" He asked.

I nodded. "Yes. Ozai said that I was an honoured guest in his palace, and that, basically, the staff were supposed to treat me like Azula – he didn't _say_ that, but that's what's happening…" I turned so that my side was leaning against the bars, and pulled the necklace out from under my robes. "He said that this necklace was a symbol that would tie me to the Royal Family…there's an unnatural heat about it, and it's spiritually _heavy_…" Iroh was staring at the gold band. "I feel as if there is a lot of _history_ about this ring…do you know about it?"

Iroh nodded slowly. "That ring has been passed down through the Fire Nation Royal Family. It is an important family heirloom. I am surprised that my brother gave it to you." His eyes also told me that he was suspicious about Ozai's intentions.

I nodded. "He told me to guard it well. Uncle Iroh, I _don't_ want to become Ozai's Priestess. As much as I _like_ the Fire Nation, more than I actually _thought_ I would, I don't think this is where I'm meant to be."

"Have you been out of the palace yet?" Iroh asked me.

I shook my head. "No, I haven't seen much of this place yet, but I kinda…_want_ to. The Fire Nation is a proud and beautiful place, the architecture, the _weather_, everything…but…" I bit my lip. "I want to get out of here, as far away from this place as possible. I want to find Katara and everyone else, I want to know what happened to the others back in Ba Sing Se…" I lowered my head. "At the moment, you're the only person I can really talk to..."

Iroh regarded me carefully. "I see…"

"Has Zuko been to see you?" I asked suddenly, and watched a look of pain flit through Iroh's golden eyes. I gulped. "I know he has, although I'm surprised…I didn't think he'd have the time…" Tears gathered in my eyes. "Not since he…he has a new girlfriend!" My hands flew up to my eyes as I began to cry, and Iroh's arms slipped through the bars and wrapped around my shoulders, comforting me. "I _still_ care about him, I've never felt this way about _anyone_ before, but it's hurting me _so_ much! I thought he cared about me too! He protected me all those times, he's been the _only_ man who's ever given me the time of day, and now…he's going out with Azula's best friend, Mai…we haven't even _spoken_ to each other since Ba Sing Se!" I sobbed, not able to keep my voice down, and that was when we both heard footsteps.

Iroh's eyes widened, and I cursed under my breath, having only enough time to wipe my face, grab my cloak and put it back on.

The door to the cell burst open, and an angry-looking guard came storming in.

"No one is allowed in here without proper authorization!" He said angrily, striding forwards and grabbing my arm.

I suddenly dug my feet in, twisted my hand around to grab onto _his_ arm, and used my free hand to grab my necklace and hold it right in front of the guard's face. "_Here's_ my authorization." With my cloak's hood down, and my hair done up this way, I knew I _looked _like a member of the Fire Nation Royal Family.

The guard looked stunned, staring at the ring dangling between us. "L-Lady Antian's Ring…" He stammered. "Th-this is…"

I let go of his arm instantly and took a few steps back. "Wh-what?" I shook my head. "Whatever. Please, tell no one I was here, sir."

"Y-yes, of c-course, Milady!" The guard was still looking shocked, as I traded a quick look with Uncle Iroh, and then walked swiftly from the room, my cloak swishing.

_O~O~O~O_

**Karai's P.O.V:**

I sat with my back against the wall, focusing on my breathing. There was a lot of pain in my stomach at the moment. I could also feel kicking – my baby was getting restless. I knew that he or she wanted out, and probably soon. The trouble was, this was hardly the world I had envisioned. When I'd travelled to Ba Sing Se, I hadn't expected this…

Across from me, Jin had her back on the opposite wall, and her head resting on Tai-Lung's shoulder. She was looking at me with her light brown eyes, but not saying anything. What could we say?

Aiguo was asleep, with his head resting on Tai-Lung's lap. He had been upset for most of the day, because they'd taken Koko away from him. I myself was a little worried about the pregnant Fire Ferret. I knew how she felt.

Nearby, a man I didn't know but whom had introduced himself to us as Ai, was looking up at the moonlight. He had been complaining about the state of the place we were in, saying that this was _hardly_ the circus that he was used to, and he wanted to wash his hair. Now, however, we had all of us lapsed into silence. Confessions and forgiveness aside, there was not much to say. We were prisoners, and that was that.

Just then Tai-Lung, who had one arm around Jin and the other hand resting on the stone floor, looked up sharply. "Someone's coming." The former Dai Li agent warned us all.

Just then, the door to the prison cell opened, and somebody stepped into the doorway, silhouetted by the candlelight.

Tai-Lung was immediately on guard, as the person stepped inside the cell and let the door shut behind them.

"What do you want?" Tai-Lung asked. He moved his brother and stood up, standing in front of Aiguo and Jin.

The person reached up and removed the hood of their cloak.

Moonlight fell across the face of none other than Emma, and we all stared at her in shock. Her hair was tied up and clipped with a Fire Nation emblem, and her robes were expensive and stylish.

She looked at each of us in turn, and then sank to her knees. "Everyone…I'm so sorry…this is all my fault…"


	44. Plans

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

**Author's Notes:**

**I REALLY don't like this chapter…it seems so disjointed to me, so…I'm sorry. *Bows***

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

Plans

_"Have you been out of the palace yet?" Iroh asked me._

_I shook my head. "No, I haven't seen much of this place yet, but I kinda…want to. The Fire Nation is a proud and beautiful place, the architecture, the weather, everything…but…" I bit my lip. "I want to get out of here, as far away from this place as possible. I want to find Katara and everyone else, I want to know what happened to the others back in Ba Sing Se…" I lowered my head. "At the moment, you're the only person I can really talk to..."_

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

A week went by, and I was still here within the Fire Nation capital. One thing had changed, however – I'd ventured out beyond the palace walls, and I'd done it for a very good reason. It had started when I'd found out that Kai was in prison, along with Jin, Tai-Lung, Aiguo and, to my surprise, Ai.

Why they were here, in a prison for high-priority criminals, I knew not, but I'd known at once why they were captured – for their connections to me, helping me escape from the Dai Li, and betraying the Dai Li. I couldn't believe they were in here, and I had to explain to them why _I_ was here. I left out the parts about me being able to bend four elements, however, and made it just sound like I was a random person from another world.

I found out that they'd been captured and brought here, just after we'd left Ba Sing Se.

"I've gotta get you guys out of here…" I'd whispered.

"No!" Aiguo exclaimed. "If we try to escape, they're going to hurt Koko!"

Piece by piece the story came out, and I thought that Koko must be around somewhere. Probably being kept in some kind of pet shop.

I told them I'd go into the town and attempt to find her. I said I wasn't going to give up until I found her, and then I'd help them to escape.

"I need you guys to devise an escape plan." I told them. "Think about your strengths and weaknesses. Take into account all things, and plan for every possible outcome. I'll look for a place you can go, and get back to you as soon as I can."

"Emma…" Jin began.

"Look, Jin, I'm _not_ gonna let you guys suffer for me, okay?" I said, gently but firmly. "I'm getting you guys out of here if it's the last thing I do."

"Emma," Kai ventured, as I stood up and headed towards the door. "What happened to Zuko?"

I froze, with my hand reaching out to the door. "Zuko…" I muttered, a hint of sarcasm lacing my voice. I turned back around, keeping my face arranged into a smile. "You know, I haven't even spoken to him! I'm sure he's very happy here!"

I hurried from the room before they could ask me what that meant.

_O~O~O~O_

**Karai's P.O.V:**

After Emma left, we didn't lapse into silence again, because Jin asked me: "What happened between her and L-Zu…uh, the Prince?" She shook her head slightly, still trying to come to grips with the fact that 'Lee' was really 'Prince Zuko' of the Fire Nation. The fact that friends were in fact possible enemies, the fact that _I_ was Fire Nation, and the fact that Emma was from another world, were enough to cause confusion in the three Earth Kingdom citizens. Poor Jin didn't know _what_ to think!

I shrugged. "Who knows? Zuko probably said or did something to her to make her angry at him – he's an idiot that way."

"Ssh!" Jin hissed, her eyes wide. "What if somebody _hears_ you?"

I shrugged. "Who cares? Zuko betrayed Iroh, and doesn't even give a damn that I was captured – I can't believe he's treating us all this way, just because he gets to be a Prince again."

"I can't believe it," Jin sighed. "He seemed so…so _nice_. You could tell that he and Emma were really close…and he's the Fire Lord's _son_…wow, this is so messed up…"

"Tell me about it." I rolled my eyes. "Still, if Emma says she's gonna help us, then she'll do it. She's like that…"

"Well," Tai-Lung spoke up. "If she's going to do her part, then we'll have to come up with a plan of escape. If Emma can help us to escape, then we may have a chance after all…"

"You're an Earthbender," Jin smiled at him. "You're also used to fighting because you were with the Dai Li…you can help us the most."

"Yeah," I looked at her. "However, his weakness also happens to be _you_, and _you_," I turned my gaze to Aiguo. "Short-stuff."

"You should talk!" Aiguo snapped back. "At least I'm not carrying extra _weight_!" He gazed pointedly at my round belly. "I can move really fast, and get myself out of trouble."

"You've had plenty of _practice_ at that, haven't you, brat?" I retorted. "I don't call that skill!"

"You weren't even able to stop me from stealing your bag of food back in Ba Sing Se!" Aiguo replied, rolling his eyes. "What makes you think you can fight off a bunch of Firebending guards?"

"Because they're not the only ones who can do it." I replied evenly. Jin, Tai-Lung and Aiguo stared at me. "What?" I shrugged. "It's a part of who I am – the same as Tai-Lung's an Earthbender, and Emma's a Waterbender." _And Priestess_.

"Exactly, hon." Ai spoke up, smiling at me. "You were born that way, and it makes you who you are."

Aiguo glanced at Ai, and I could just _tell_ that he wanted to say something to the cross-dresser, so I quickly said: "So, Ai, what can you do?"

At the same time Jin asked: "What did you used to do at the circus, Ai?" I guessed she thought Aiguo was going to say something he shouldn't, too.

Ai's smile became a grin. "I was a trapeze artist!" He said, moving himself up into a one-handed handstand, and then flipping over and landing on his feet, managing to do all of this in the small confines of our prison cell. "And, an acrobat!"

"Whoa…" Aiguo and I breathed, and Jin applauded softly while even Tai-Lung looked impressed.

"Now _this_ is what I call a _good_ skill!" I told Aiguo, who glared at me.

I was feeding a little happier than I had been in weeks. Seeing Emma again had given me…hope.

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"Excuse me, Milady!"

I groaned, and turned around, trying to keep a smile on my face. On my shoulder, Yang-Chong sensed my discomfort, and glared at the attendant hurrying towards me.

"Wh-where are you going, Milady?" The chubby female attendant puffed. Her face was red from having just run an entire corridor.

"Are you…okay?" I was concerned. "Maybe you should lie down?"

"I'll be f-fine," She gave me a reassuring look. "B-but you shouldn't be going off by yours-self, Milday!"

I sighed. Not this again. "_I'll_ be fine. I don't need a baby-sitter."

"Nonsense." The attendant seemed to be recovering from her exertion. "We were all instructed by His Majesty to attend to your every need."

I thought for a moment, and then said: "Okay, here's what you can do for me, Ma'am – please leave me alone."

The attendant's smile slipped off her face, as I turned around again and started to walk off.

She reached out and grabbed the sleeve of my red robes (which, I hadn't put on by myself, because guests in the royal palace didn't _do_ that for themselves). "_Please_ Milady, I _must_ insist!"

"No, _I_ must insist!" I replied, yanking my sleeve back.

"Please, we'll all get in trouble otherwise!" The attendant protested.

"I wasn't made to live like this!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up frustration. "I'm not a Princess!"

"You can say _that_ again." A voice said from behind me, and both the attendant and I turned around to see Princess Azula standing there, looking annoyed.

The attendant flung herself onto the floor, but I glared at Azula. She gave me a pointed look, and I sighed. I bowed, though not as deeply as the attendant, and Azula rolled her eyes.

"What seems to be the problem?" She asked me, completely ignoring the attendant.

"I don't like being followed around like this, and you know it!" I snapped.

"Calm down," Azula replied, smirking a little bit. "And they say _I'm_ the one with the bad temper."

"Those that say that get fire-blasted, don't they?" I muttered.

She sighed dramatically. "Oh, why do people _always_ assume the worst of me?" She looked at the attendant. "Leave us." She ordered, and the attendant got up and bowed her head, exiting through a nearby side door. "Now," Azula turned to me. "You want to go out by yourself?"

I nodded.

"Then go." Azula gestured to the door. "I'll make sure the attendants don't follow you."

I gave her a suspicious look. "Suddenly, I don't _trust_ you…"

She looked at me intently. "Well, you _should_. Believe it or not, I _do_ know what you're going through. I go through it every day."

"Yeah, but you were _born_ into it – you _like_ it." I responded. Yang-Chong chirped in agreement.

Azula sighed. "As usual, you jump to too many conclusions. You're so close-minded sometimes, you think the _world_ revolves around you and your problems."

I gasped. Isn't that what I'd said to Zuko, many months ago?

Azula's smirk grew. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I hit a sore point? Look, just go already, and you'll see that I'm telling the truth."

I looked at her suspiciously. Was she telling the truth? Could I trust her? I didn't have much of a choice, if I wanted to look for Koko…

I sighed, and said: "Alright then…I _do_ need a day off…" I bowed a little more deeply to her. "Thank you, Princess Azula."

Azula paused for a second, and then nodded. "This evening, will you come into town with the girls and me? We're having a girl's night out, and we'd _love_ it if you came with us…" She _sounded_ sincere.

I glanced at her, surprised. I _did_ miss spending time with girls my own age, since I hadn't seen Toph and Katara in so long. Plus, it would give me a chance to get to know everyone better…

"Thanks, I'd love to." I smiled one of my rare, honest-to-God smiles at her, before turning and walking out of the palace doors by myself.

Yang-Chong crowed softly to me.

"Yeah, I know, I'm suspicious too," I told him softly. "Still, we should be nice to her…give her the benefit of the doubt and all…even though I _still_ don't like what she did, but that's different from not liking _her_…not that I _like_ her, just…oh, I dunno…"

_O~O~O~O_

"So, if I wanted to buy a Fire Ferret, where could I go?" I asked the merchant, who had set up a fancy-looking shop inRoyalCalderaCity. He was selling other animals, but no Fire Ferrets. Still, this looked like the best place to start.

"You want one of those? You already got a phoenix…" The man scratched his chin.

I nodded.

"You must like animals a lot." The merchant told me.  
>I smiled, and patted a Dragon-Moose. "Yeah…I mean, who doesn't?"<p>

"If you weren't already rich, you could come and work for me." The merchant said.

I blushed. "Ah, anyway, so…the Fire Ferret?"

"Well…" The man thought for a moment. "There's a pet shop inHarbourCity, I've heard it gets a lot of rare animals from other parts of the Fire Nation. You may be able to get one there."

"Thanks for your help." I turned to go.

"Uh, but,HarbourCity…" The merchant said. "Isn't exactly a place for a pretty young noble such as yourself…it's very dangerous…"

"Thanks for the advice," I told him, trying to ignore the nervousness in my chest. "But, I'll be okay. I've been to war before – this'll be like a walk in the park."

"_You've_ been to _war_?" The merchant looked at me in disbelief.

I rolled my eyes. "Why does _everyone_ have such a hard time believing that _I_ can fight?" I clicked my fingers together, lighting a spark. "If I can stand up to Azula, then I can stand up to _anyone_!" I turned and marched away. _Not that I actually_ beat_ her…_

The merchant was right, though. I needed a disguise…

_O~O~O~O_

**Nobody's P.O.V:**

The merchant sighed, and turned around to stop a fight between a Raven-Eagle and a Sea-Raven.

"Stop it, you two, _enough_!" The merchant said in frustration. "Why couldn't that girl have brought at least _one_ of _you_? She seemed like an animal-lover…"

"Maybe because she isn't interested in those scrawny things." A female voice said from behind him. "She's after something in particular, and you're going to tell me what it is."

"Look," The merchant rolled his eyes. "I can't just…" He turned around, and came face-to-face with the Princess Azula.

She raised an eyebrow. "Can't _what_?"

The merchant's face paled, and he flung himself onto the ground at Azula's feet. "F-forgive me, your Highness, I meant no disrespect!"

"Just tell me where she's going." Azula sounded only mildly annoyed, but everyone who knew her knew better.

"T-to the harbour!" The merchant squeaked.

"And why would she be going there?" Azula crossed her arms.

"T-to find a F-Fire Ferret!" The merchant stammered.

Azula paused. _A Fire Ferret…why would she be after one them? Wait…could she be…? !_ Azula's eyes narrowed. _I don't believe it…_

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"This place looks…promising…" I said to Yang-Chong, staring up at the old rusted sign. I recognized the symbol for 'animals' on it.

Yang-Chong gazed at the sign, and then looked at the building. He ruffled up his feathers as if to say 'yeah, right'.

The entireHarbourCitywas like this – completely different fromCalderaCity. It was hard to believe the two were neighbours, but I guessed that this was mainly where the war machines were manufactured. The guards at the gate had looked a little surprised to see me, but had let me go through. Huh. I guess Azula was telling the truth.

I squared my shoulders, which wore a simple pair of dark red robes I had snagged from within the palace, and marched right on into the shop. My messy hair blew out behind me – I'd let it down and messed it up, to help me achieve my new look.

It was indeed a pet shop. Various animals peered out at me from within cages, and the store owner was haggling with someone. They both looked up at me as I entered the shop.

"Eheheh…" I smiled a little self-consciously. "Take your time…"

The shop owner nodded and kept on trying to convince the other man to buy a dangerous-looking creature I'd never seen before.

I wandered around, with Yang-Chong glaring at animals that seemed threatening. "Settle down." I whispered to him, though I was glad he was here.

The store owner finished with his client (who decided _not_ to buy the dangerous creature) and approached me.

"What can I do for you, little lady?" He asked me. He looked a little shady-looking, but I'd dealt with men like that before.

"I'm looking for a Fire Ferret," I told him. "I've been told you may be able to help me."

"Hmm…" The man looked at me. "A Fire Ferret?" He regarded me, and then shook his head. "No, sorry, _can't_ help ya…" He walked into a back room and closed the door, which I heard him lock.

Yang-Chong chirped.

"I know, I don't believe him either." I walked over to the door, and examined the handle. It was made of metal. "Hmm…" I reached out, and then touched a hand to the door. "One…two…_three_!" I kicked the door in.

The shop owner let out a yell, and threw a blanket over the small cage he was standing by. The room was empty, except for the man, the cage and a table. "You! What the – why the _hell_ did you…? !" He seemed both angry and flustered, all at the same time.

"What's in the cage?" I asked him, crossing my arms over my chest.

"That is none of your business," He said coldly. "You have trespassed in a place where only employees are allowed to go, _and_ you broke down my door."

"Yeah, sorry about that," I apologized. "I can pay for that."

"Hmm…" The man looked at me a little more closely, and I cringed. Don't tell me he…? "Tell you what, why don't you…?"

"Don't. Even. Say. It." I threatened him, feeling angry all of a sudden. Why did I always seem to run into men like this? ! "Why don't you just tell me where the Fire Ferret is, and we can be done with this?" I shifted my position slightly, and Yang-Chong leapt from my shoulder, onto a nearby cage with a weird-looking cat in it. "I _know_ you've got one here, so stop lying to me!"

The man suddenly smirked. "You wanna pick a fight with me?" He asked me, and I suddenly noticed the sword at his belt. "Who are you, anyway?"

"Someone who _knows_ when she's being lied to." I replied evenly, feeling like Toph. "Tell me where the ferret is!"

"No." The man replied, unsheathed his sword and charged.

_This was so unexpected around here!_ I thought, dodging the sword and flipping back over a table.

The man swung at me again, and I dodged, not wanting to fight back because I thought the animals might get hurt if I did. I misjudged the shop owner's skill level, however, and he kicked me in the side, sending me flying out of the shop.

I landed painfully on the ground outside. "Nngnn…" I muttered, pulling myself up, just as he came at me again. I gasped, and dodged out of the way, but this time I decided to fight back.

I turned, and swung my fist around, and the man grabbed it.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to play around with grown-ups, little girl?" The man smirked, and wrapped his hand around mine, forcing me to then wrap my _own_ hand around the blade of the sword! Luckily, it was my left, un-scarred hand, but it still hurt! "I'll teach you to stay out of my business, whoever you are!"

I smiled suddenly, even though blood was dripping down my wrist. "And _I'll_ teach _you_ not to mess around with fire, Mister!" I remembered how Azula had caused a great amount of heat to rise to her hand, burning my wrist badly. I decided to do it now, only I'd heat up this guy's sword. Focusing on my chi, I unleashed a torrent of heat from my hand, which instantly turned the sword red-hot, and scalded both of the man's hands.

He let out a yell of pain, and jumped back, as I noticed the crowd of people gathered around us.

"You little bitch!" The man shouted, and swung at me with his sword, which was still glowing a little bit.

I leapt back, swinging myself around to get behind him and kicking him in the back. "You seem a little angry!" I called to him.

He let out a furious yell now, and came back to attack me, thrusting his sword directly toward me.

I leant over backwards, and felt the sword slice through the front of my robes. As I wondered how this situation had actually arisen in the first place, the chain around my neck came loose, cut by the man's sword.

I gasped and, unthinkingly, exclaimed: "My necklace!" As I straightened myself up. Ozai was going to _kill_ me!

The crowd immediately fell silent, and the only sound was the gold ring hitting the dirt ground.

I stared at it for a moment, and everyone stared at me. Then, the crowd began murmuring and, without waiting around to see what happened, I turned and ran, pushing my way through the crowd.

I didn't know it then, but that one incident was going to change my life…  
><em>O~O~O~O<em>

I was less than halfway back to the palace when Yang-Chong found me. He was carrying a large cage in his talons, and in that cage was…

"Koko!" I gasped, immediately opening the cage, to find the Fire Ferret gasping, and looking up at me with a surprisingly human-like expression of pain on her face. "Koko?" I gasped again. "Oh, no! You're having your babies!" I looked all around me, like there may be a sign or something telling me what to do. Katara didn't talk me through _Fire Ferret_ births!

Yang-Chong suddenly took flight from my shoulder.

"Yang-Chong? !" I called to him. He let out a musical cry, and I had no choice but to follow him. I ran with the cage in my arms, wondering where on earth he was going. He led me on a long run through the forests surrounding the city. We arrived at a sheer cliff over-looking the water, and Yang-Chong suddenly flew back and grabbed me by the back of my robes, hauling me up and carrying me over the water. "Yang-Chong, where are we going? !" I asked him, as he carried me over the ocean towards a small island I hadn't known was there. "What _is_ this place?"

As we got closer to the island, however, fire suddenly came up from the trees!

"Yikes!" I yelled, as Yang-Chong dodged the fire, and I desperately clutched onto the cage. _Where's that fire coming from? Who's on the island? !_

As another few waves of fire arced towards us, I suddenly swung my feet up, bringing a huge wave of water up to block the fire. As we flew through the water droplets and embers, I saw a figure standing on a rocky outcropping.

"Is that…?" I muttered and, as we flew closer, I saw that it indeed was. "Lieutenant Jee!" I gasped.

"Emma? !" He called. "Is that really you? !"

"It's me!" I was unable to keep the grin off of my face then.

_O~O~O~O_

"I hope my coming here didn't alert anyone that you were here." I told Jee, as he, Daniu, Jin-Po and the other members of Zuko's former crew sat around a fire. In her cage next to the fire, with a blanket thrown over it for privacy, Koko was becoming a Mother. When I'd asked Jee what we should do, he'd said that Fire Ferrets had been giving birth a lot longer than humans had been there to help them, and that Koko would know what to do.

So, I was sipping on a cup of tea, and telling the men what had been happening since I'd last seen them. They'd told me that they'd found this island while on the run from the Fire Nation, and that nobody would expect them to hide so close to the palace.

"I think that's going to help me with something, though…" I said.

"Like what?" Daniu asked me.

"I have some friends who are in prison, but I'm planning to break them out." I explained, my mind already ticking away. "They'll need a place to stay once I get them out of there, and someone to stay with…especially Kai…"

"_Karai_? !" The men all gasped.

I nodded.

"My niece!" Jee leaned forwards. "Is she alright?"

"Aside from being pregnant and in a Fire Nation prison?" I replied. "Doing great. Never been snappier, though. I'm gonna get em' all out of there, and over to here."

"We'll be waiting." Jee promised me.

_O~O~O~O_

When I got back to the palace, I found Azula waiting for me. At first I thought it was because I'd promised her I'd go out with her and her friends that evening, until she told me that her Father had summoned me.

"What?" I blinked. "What for?"

Azula shrugged. "Who knows? Just hurry up and get to the throne room. Of course," She eyed me critically. "You might want to get changed first and do something about your hair."

I glanced down at myself, and then back at her. "O…kay…thanks, Princess." I hurried off down the hall, feeling her golden eyes boring into my back as I did.

_O~O~O~O_

**Azula's P.O.V:**

I considered things, as I leaned against a tall pillar, watching the spot where Emma had disappeared a good thirty-five minutes ago. She'd looked nervous but, then, who _wouldn't_ be? My Father was the Fire Lord, after all and, when she found out _why_ he had summoned her, she'd realise that all of her nerves were for good reason.

I smirked. This was her own fault, after all.

"You look happy." A monotone voice said from behind me, and I turned to see Mai, as well as my brother, and a chirpy-looking Ty-Lee (then again, she _always_ looks chirpy). Mai herself looked a little happier than usual, though…

"Oh, just thinking about what a fun _girl's_ night out we're gonna have." I lied simply, giving my brother a pointed look.

He sighed. "Yeah, whatever, I didn't particularly _want_ to come, anyway." He smiled at Mai, however. "You go out and have fun."

"I can do that." She replied calmly, giving him a quick kiss.

_Ew_. I thought.

"Aww, you two are so _sweet_ together!" Ty-Lee exclaimed, just as the sound of running footsteps could be heard and, a moment later, a figure wearing a red tube top with off-the-shoulder straps, a matching pair of pants that came to just below her knees, and see-through dark red sash that went from her right shoulder to her left hip came running towards us, sliding to a stop in front of our group.

"S-sorry I'm late!" She panted, as a large golden bird landed on a small table next to us. "I had to change outfits twice after I got back here!" Her golden eyes widened suddenly when she realised that there were now _four_ people standing there. "Uh…"

"Emma!" Ty-Lee greeted her, giving her a quick hug. "Look at you, you look so great!"

"I'm not used to wearing things like this." Emma replied, looking self-conscious.

"You should wear things like this more often, then!" Ty-Lee turned to Mai. "Doesn't she look great, Mai?"

Mai shrugged. "Eh, it's okay." She spoke casually, but her eyes told a different story, as she glared daggers into the uncomfortable, shorter girl.

I smirked slightly. This was going to be _fun_…

"Well," Ty-Lee asked brightly, still smiling. So annoying. "Shall we go?"

"Yes, let's." I replied. "I'm _dying_ to get out on the town. Mai, say goodbye to Zuko." I added, glancing at her.

She stopped glaring at Emma and kissed Zuko quickly. He appeared not to notice, however and, when Mai stepped away from him, he continued to look at a spot past her.

Emma was trying not to look at Zuko but, somehow, their eyes met, and I watched a small blush creep up onto her face. _Zuko_, on the other hand, looked almost…well…apologetic. He also had a strange _gleam_ in his eye…I couldn't fathom _why_, though…

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

After we had dinner and did a spot of shopping (well, the other girls shopped and I just watched) we went to what could only be described as the Avatar World's version of a nightclub.

While Azula and Ty-Lee danced, and Mai just stood around looking bored, I tried to ignore the very loud music and wrap my head around the events that had led up to me sitting here.

My mind was racing a mile a minute, distracting me so much that I'd hardly heard when people had spoken to me that evening. I must've annoyed Azula to no point, but she didn't say anything about it, because she'd already _had_ her revenge, it seemed…I was going to regret ever trusting her, _that_ was for sure…

I was fanning myself with my golden fan, and wishing that I was anywhere but here (like, maybe someplace _cooler_) when a voice suddenly exclaimed: "It _is_ you!" It was between songs, so I could hear him.

I looked up, confused, to see a tall Fire Nation boy grinning at me.

"What's me?" I asked him.

"You're Ursa Majora!" The boy exclaimed, causing quite a few people to look over at us. "From theEarthKingdomcolony!"

At first, I was puzzled, but then I remembered, and groaned inwardly. "Oh, right, yes…that's me…" I'd forgotten about that, actually.

The boy grabbed my wrist and yanked me up into a standing position, startling me. He pulled me through the crowd, until we reached the stage and, the next thing I knew, I was standing _onstage_.

I gasped, and stood there frozen. Through the crowd, I could make out Azula looking suspicious, Mai looking bored and Ty-Lee looking excited.

"Go, Emma!" She cheered, and a few people looked at her.

I coughed. "Uh…s-some people know me as Ursa Majora, some know me as E-Emma, at-at any rate…" I gulped, and tried to compose myself. This was so sudden! "Umm…that random guy over there wanted me to sing, so…uh…there's this one song y-you won't know…uh…" I cleared my throat, and snapped my fan up in front of my face as I began to sing.

"_Lord almighty,  
>I feel my temperature rising<br>Higher and higher  
>It's burning through to my soul<em>

Baby, baby, baby  
>You're gonna set me on fire<br>My brain is flaming  
>And I don't know which way to go<p>

Your kisses lift me higher  
>Like the sweet song of a choir<br>You light my morning sky  
>With burning love<p>

…"

It was about halfway through the song when I realised that, despite the obvious lack of music, people were _enjoying_ what I was singing! They were clapping and cheering (although not so loud that they couldn't still hear me), and some had even started dancing again. I looked around for Azula and her friends, but couldn't see them anymore, and that suited me just fine.

"_Ooh, ooh, ooh  
>I feel my temperature rising<br>Help me, I'm flaming  
>I must be a hundred and nine<br>Burning, burning, burning  
>Nothing can cool me<br>I just might turn into smoke  
>But I feel fine<em>

Cause your kisses lift me higher  
>Like a sweet song of a choir<br>You light my morning sky  
>With burning love<p>

…"

I was happier than I had been in a long time, despite my nerves. Back home, I'd _never_ gotten this kind of treatment before. People actually _liked_ hearing me sing! I was glad…

"_It's coming closer  
>The flames are now licking my body<br>Won't you help me  
>I feel like I'm slipping away (hey-yeah-yeah…)<br>It's hard to breathe  
>And my chest is just a-heaving<br>Lord, a'mercy  
>Burning a hole in me<em>

Cause your kisses life me higher  
>Like the sweet song of a choir<br>You light my morning sky  
>With burning love<br>With burning love  
>Ah, ah burning love<p>

I'm just a hunk, a hunk of burning love

…"

When I finished, many people in the club cheered, and a few began chanting 'more, more'!

Oh, great, now what? ! What would Mum do in this situation? Not that she ever _would_ be but, hey, it could happen!

Oh, wait, Mum would sing a Pink song, since Pink is her favourite singer…but…was Pink too 'out-there' for these people? Would they understand half the words? Only one way to find out, I began to get my confidence level rising.

"_Right right, turn off the lights,  
>We're gonna lose our minds tonight,<br>What's the deal, yo?_

I love when it's all too much,

_5am turn the radio up  
>Where's the rock and roll?<em>

Party Crasher,  
>Penny Snatcher,<br>Call me up if you want gangsta  
>Don't be fancy, just get dancey<br>Why so serious?

So raise your glass if you are wrong,  
>In all the right ways,<br>All my underdogs,  
>We will never be never be anything but loud<br>And nitty gritty dirty little freaks  
>Won't you come on and come on and raise your glass,<br>Just come on and come on and raise your glass

Slam slam, oh hot damn  
>What part of party don't you understand,<br>Wish you'd just freak out (freak out already)  
>Can't stop, coming in hot,<br>I should be locked up right on the spot  
>It's so on right now (so fuckin on right now)<p>

."

I suddenly realised what I'd just sung, and hesitated for a second, but then I was stunned when a fair few people cheered. What the hell?

I guess they hadn't expected me to sing that…

"_Party Crasher,  
>Penny Snatcher,<br>Call me up if you want gangsta  
>Don't be fancy, just get dancey<em>

Why so serious?

So raise your glass if you are wrong,  
>In all the right ways,<br>All my underdogs,  
>We will never be never be anything but loud<br>And nitty gritty dirty little freaks  
>Won't you come on and come on and raise your glass,<br>Just come on and come on and raise your glass  
>Won't you come on and come on and raise your glass,<br>Just come on and come on and raise your glass

(oh shit my glass is empty, that sucks)

So if you're too school for cool,  
>And you're treated like a fool,<br>You can choose to let it go  
>We can always, we can always,<br>Party on our own

(so raise your) So raise your glass if you are wrong,  
>In all the right ways,<br>All my underdogs,  
>We will never be never be anything but loud<br>And nitty gritty, dirty little freaks  
>So raise your glass if you are wrong,<br>In all the right ways,  
>All my underdogs,<br>We will never be never be anything but loud  
>And nitty gritty, dirty little freaks<br>Won't you come on and come on and raise your glass,  
>Just come on and come on and raise your glass<br>Won't you come on and come on and raise your glass,(for me)  
>Just come on and come on and raise your glass (for me)<p>

…"

_O~O~O~O_

**Mai's P.O.V:**

"Wow, I never knew Emma had it in her!" Ty-Lee exclaimed, as we watched Emma sing her heart out onstage. She seemed to be spurred on by the crowd's enthusiasm. "She has such a beautiful voice, too, I'm so jealous!"

"Too bad she doesn't know any _real_ songs." Was Azula's reply, just as the doors to the club swung open, and an official from the palace hurried in.

He looked around, and then spotted Emma up onstage. He gestured to her urgently, and she made the 'who, me?' sign. He nodded vehemently, and she hopped down from the stage and hurried to him.

"Hmm, what's _this_ about, I wonder?" Azula mused, as the official and Emma spoke hurriedly to each other, and then she followed him out of the club, much to the crowd's disappointment, although they soon forgot about her when the music started again.

"Aww, she didn't even say goodnight to us." Ty-Lee looked disappointed. Then, she glanced at a spot past my right shoulder, and said quickly: "Hey, is that…?"

"Who?" Azula turned around, but there was no one there.

"I thought I just saw your brother," Ty-Lee shrugged. "I must've been mistaken…come on, guys, let's dance again!"

Ty-Lee has a one-track mind, I guess.

Still…I wondered why Emma had been called back to the palace so early…and…if Ty-Lee had _really_ seen Zuko, why was he here, and why had he left straight after Emma had?

Also…what on _earth_ was with those songs she'd just been singing?

So many questions…and, in actuality, I began to care about what the answers might be, _especially_ if they involved my boyfriend and another girl…


	45. The Fire Bending Master

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

The Fire Bending Master

_I considered things, as I leaned against a tall pillar, watching the spot where Emma had disappeared a good thirty-five minutes ago. She'd looked nervous but, then, who wouldn't be? My Father was the Fire Lord, after all and, when she found out why he had summoned her, she'd realise that all of her nerves were for good reason._

_I smirked. This was her own fault, after all._

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

The next morning, somebody entered my room. I'd been dreaming about a huge dark orange tiger hunting me in the steamy jungles of some tropical place, like maybe Indiaor somewhere. I sat straight up in bed as I threw my hands out, and then I shouted: "I am _not_ a Fox Antelope!"

I then opened my eyes, and my morning weariness wore off instantly to be replaced by cold dread.

Fire Lord Ozai stood a few feet back from my bed, his nose dripping with an un-stemmed blood flow.

He and I stared at each other for a moment, before I threw back the covers and shouted: "_Water_!" To whoever might be listening.

Almost immediately, a female attendant hurried in with a bowl of water, but stopped and gasped at the sight of the Fire Lord wearing Firebending training clothes – red pants to just above the knee and a dark red sleeveless gold-trimmed robe over a long-sleeved lighter red one – and a very, very bloodied nose. Oh, and an expression that could have burned a hole through sheet metal (an interesting choice of phrasing, actually…).

"Leave." I told the attendant briskly, and she did so, quickly placing the bowl of water on my bedside table and bowing her head as she exited the room.

I immediately Waterbended the water out of the bowl and over to Ozai, who was just standing there but the expression in his eyes was _murderous_. I had a strong feeling I'd much rather face the tiger after this.

Well, third time giving a Firebender a blood nose is a charm, right?

When the Fire Lord's nose was healed, the water evaporated and the blood cleared away, I bowed my head, unsure of what to do next.

Ozai took a step forward, and I tensed.

"You," Ozai said coldly. "Are late."

I suddenly remembered the fact that I was supposed to have been up before dawn, and the sun was now shining in through my window. Under any other circumstances, I would have said that Yang-Chong was supposed to have woken me up. However, given the current situation, I felt that it was best to say nothing at all.

"I will give you five minutes to meet me at the arena." Ozai told me, and I inclined my head even further. "Bring your Firebending, _not_ your Waterbending."

_O~O~O~O_

Yes, it was official. I wanted to _kill_ Princess Azula, for managing to trick me like this. She'd told her Father virtually _everything_ that I'd done yesterday, starting from wanting to leave the palace unescorted and ending with me fighting against the shop merchant. I don't know if she'd told him _why_ I was fighting, but that didn't matter.

I was now going to be learning Firebending from Fire Lord Ozai.

I supposed I could have always refused but, as Ozai had pointed out to me during our meeting before my night out with Azula and the girls, I wasn't in any position to negotiate. I was a guest here, but that could all change. Remembering Zhao's dying wish didn't really help.

Learn Firebending from _the_ Fire Lord? Increase my chances of having to become some sort of Fire Priestess? What was I _thinking_? !

Was I scared?

Yes.

Was I feeling numb?

Yes.

Was I excited?

Surprisingly, yes. I couldn't _wait_ to learn how to Firebend properly. I just wished that I could learn it from somebody else…_anybody_ else…

And, _anywhere_ else. This was the same Agni Kai Arena where Zuko had been scarred and banished. I could sense, somehow, a lot of hurt and pain within this chamber, fallen pride and screams. A _lot_ of screams…

Luckily, I didn't do any screaming on that day, or the next, or the next five days after that.

Perhaps it was because I'd already been in life-threatening situations before…or perhaps because I never actually had to _fight_ the Fire Lord…

Either way, I was learning.

A lot.

Fire Lord Ozai, as it turned out, was famed at being a lot of things, although being a good Father wasn't one of them. However, he _was_ a very good teacher. Though he lacked patience and understanding, and I was so scared about making a mistake that it was mind-numbing, I found that his instructions and techniques made sense very quickly. Perhaps it was _because_ I was so scared, that I made myself do it right the first time in order to avoid reprimand. Ozai was a _completely_ different teacher from Katara and Toph, but he was teaching me more than I'd ever cared to learn before.

There were just a few problems with my Firebending.

One, my natural element was water, and fire being its polar opposite after all. I was _forever_ having to correct my posture, or tell myself to be more aggressive, rather than flowing…

Two, I was finding it harder to draw energy from the sun, again for the same reason. I was used to the moon giving me my cool power, and having to get blazing power from the sun wasn't easy. Fire was _hot_…

And three…I was suddenly starting to realise why so many feared fire. To see Ozai in action was…incredible. And…terrifying. The way he talked about fire was that it was a destructive tool used to deliver a message of fear onto weaker beings. He didn't actually _say_ all that, but I could tell that he meant it, especially when he demonstrated his abilities to me. Like him, the fire was course, rough and powerful. It was _dominating_…

Aang was _definitely_ going to have one hell of a fight on his hands come summer's end…literally…

_O~O~O~O_

On Friday afternoon, I was sitting in the courtyard, dangling my feet in the pond and feeding bits of bread to Turtle-Ducks. It made me a little bit sad, since I hadn't seen Zuko very much recently and hadn't spoken to him since Ba Sing Se. He and his Mother used to come here to feed Turtle Ducks often, I recalled…

"_I strain my ears and if I focus my eyes, look, if the door opens everything can be seen_…" I sang to the shell-wearing birds (or, where they bird-billed reptiles?). They chirped happily in response. "_Moreover  
>maybe not knowing is fine<br>I'm so in love that my heart is beating fast  
>even if I touch you in the same room<br>I feel the distance between us from where I am, far away_…"

The Turtle Ducks swam in the warm waters in front of me, before quite suddenly scattering back into the reeds in a panic.

I sighed. "Hello, Azula." I said, without even turning around.

"That's _Princess_ Azula to you, peasant." The slightly British-sounding voice replied. "Here, I have a present for you. Take care of it." There was a slight whimper, and soft crying that accompanied her words, and she added: "Oh, hush up, you…"

The crying grew louder.

I turned around, and saw that Azula was standing behind me, holding a familiar-looking baby boy. "Tom-Tom?" I gasped, standing up quickly. "What's he doing here?"

Azula handed the crying baby to me immediately, much to my chagrin, and said: "Mai's parents are here for the weekend, and need someone to baby-sit. Since everyone else is busy, I thought _you_ could do it."

"What about Mai?" I replied, a little frantically, as I adjusted the two-year-old in my arms. He seemed to calm down once he was passed over from Azula, and even grabbed a lock of my hair as he had grabbed Katara's hair-loopies before. "Why can't she look after her own brother?"

"_Mai_ is going out on a date with my brother," Azula replied pretentiously. I felt like someone had kicked me in the stomach. "And, Ty-Lee and I are going out today for a spa treatment, so that leaves _you_."

I glared at her. Damn her, with her snooty, conniving ways. "And what makes you think _I_ can look after a two year old?"

Azula sighed. "Look, he remembers you, _and_ he seems to like you…more than he likes _me_, anyway…" She sounded a little wistful.

I felt a little bad for her. I'd gone through _that_ before. "You just lack…_exposure_, Princess. When you become a Mum, then you'll know…" Well, that was what _my_ Mother had told me…

Azula gave me a Look. "I don't particularly _care_ about that, so _don't_ misunderstand me. I've got much more of a chance of becoming a Mother than you have, so I'll just do it in my own time, thanks." She turned and left, with a wave of her hand leaving me standing there with the baby, fuming.

"A-ba-ba…" Tom-Tom pulled on my hair.

"Owch!" I complained, sitting down and setting the baby on the grass beside me, as Yang-Chong flew down from a nearby tree, looking even more ruffled than he had been last week, so I knew he was going to burn within the next week or so.

I gave my fan to Tom-Tom to play with for awhile, before asking an attendant to get us some more bread for the Turtle-Ducks.

As I showed Tom-Tom how to gently throw the bread into the pond, so that the baby Turtle Ducks could snap it up in their little beaks, I began to sing to him, as I had done during the incident at Omashu.

"_Here is a lion and a tiger_

_Night  
>And the spirit of life<br>Calling_

_Oh, oh, iyo  
>Listen<br>Oh, oh, iyo_

_And a voice  
>With the fear of a child<br>Answers_

_Oh, oh, iyo  
>Oh, listen<br>Oh, oh, iyo_

_Throne of the ancestors  
>Oh, son of the nation<em>

_Wait  
>There's no mountain too great<br>Oh, oh, iyo  
>Hear the words and have faith<br>Oh, oh, iyo  
>Have faith<em>

_Hey, hey, listen,_

_He lives in you  
>He lives in me<br>He watches over  
>Everything we see<br>Into the water  
>Into the truth<br>In your reflection  
>He lives in you<em>

_He lives in you  
>He lives in me<br>He watches over  
>Everything we see<br>Into the water  
>Into the truth<br>In your reflection  
>He lives in you<em>…"

Tom-Tom clapped his hands together, his greyish eyes sparkling. He reached up a hand and tugged at the yin-yang pendant that could be seen at my neck, because I was still wearing my Firebender training gear.

"Aba-ababa…" He said, as I gently pried his hands free of the delicate pendant. "Ama-ba…ama…Amma…"

I gasped softly. Amma…that was what _all_ little kids who couldn't pronounce my name called me – my second cousins had done it, as well as family friends! "Tom-Tom, _what_ did you say?" I asked him, my voice trilling. 'What did you call me?"

He looked up at me, confused for a second, and then brightened. "Amma!" He pointed at me happily. "Amma! Amma!"

I couldn't keep the smile off my face then, and turned to Yang-Chong. "Did you hear that? He said my name!"

Yang-Chong crowed softly.

"Tom-Tom," I asked him, still grinning. "Can you say 'Yang-Chong'?"

The baby just stared at me.

"Oh, never mind."

I lay down on my back on the grass, and Tom-Tom crawled over to me. I lifted him up onto my stomach, and smiled at him. "You are a smart little baby, you know that?" I asked him, and he smiled happily.

He then yawned, looking sleepy. I settled him down onto my stomach and he lay across my chest, yawning again before closing his eyes. "Amma…" He muttered, drifting off to sleep.

I rolled my own eyes. How could kids fall asleep so easily? Then again…I yawned as well, and suddenly realised how tired _I_ was. Ozai had given me a serious workout that morning. My Firebending was coming along nicely, but I still lacked the aggression he and his daughter seemed to have.

"Maybe I'm not cut out to be a Firebender after all…" I muttered, as Yang-Chong settled down in an improvised nest he had just constructed. "Maybe Ozai should just forget about it…I'm _clearly_ not what he thinks I am…I don't even know the first thing about being a Fire Nation _citizen_, much less a so-called member of the Royal Family…besides…" I yawned again, closing my eyes. "I don't want to cosy up to his family anymore than I have to, since his son already broke my heart and his daughter doesn't seem to like me…that's a shame, because the family's not so bad…it just lacks a Mother-figure…"

Yang-Chong crowed impatiently, as if to say 'less talk, more sleep'.

So, I fell asleep, dreaming about lions and tigers and bears…not Gopher Bears or Armadillo Bears, just…bears…

_O~O~O~O_

"Oh my." A voice said, about an hour or so later.

I ignored it, until I realised that Yang-Chong was pecking at my hand.

"Owch! You vulture!" I cried, sitting up fast and remembering only just in time that I had a baby with me.

He woke up as I did, and we both squinted into the late afternoon sun to see a tall woman with scarlet eyes peering down at us. She wore very elaborate robes, and a slightly puzzled expression on her face.

When Tom-Tom reached for her, I immediately handed him over, and she took him and back-stepped a few paces as I stood up, awkwardly brushing the grass off my training clothes.

I looked at the lady, who looked back at me, and then I realised at once who she must be. "Oh! Right, you're Mai's Mother!" I was glad she hadn't gotten a good glimpse of me back in Omashu.

"That is correct." She replied calmly, giving me a strange look. I hurriedly checked to make sure my choker was on straight, and that there weren't any bits of grass stuck in my hair. "And, am I to assume that you are the baby-sitter?" The taller woman asked me.

"Ah, kinda, yeah…" I said uncomfortably, wishing she'd stop looking at me like that.

"Then you should have been aware that I specifically asked for him to be returned to me within an hour." The Governess told me, looking down upon me. "I was _very_ insistent on that."

"Oh, I'm sorry," I apologized. So far, Mai and Tom-Tom's Mother wasn't winning any popularity votes with me. "Azula didn't mention that to me at all…"

"I am _sure_ that _Princess_ Azula would not have forgotten to give you such a _vital_ piece of information, young lady." The Governess told me haughtily. "These days, they'll hire just about _anyone_ off the streets to take care of children…" She muttered, giving me a Look.

"Umm…" I stammered, just as an attendant came scurrying over to us.

"Milady!" The attendant called breathlessly as she ran.

"Yes, what is it?" The Governess turned to the attendant, who stopped when she was in front of me.

"No, I'm sorry, Governess, I meant Miss Emma." The attendant explained, and the Governess froze.

Tom-Tom, on the other hand, brightened, and reached out to me, but his Mother held him back.

"What's wrong?" I asked the attendant.

"The Fire Lord has requested your presence at dinner this evening," The attendant told me, taking my hand as Yang-Chong jumped up onto my shoulder. "In fact, he _specially_ requested you be there, and gave specific instructions as to how you should look! Come,' She said, leading me away. "We _must_ get your ready, now, Milady!"

"Oh…okay…" I said faintly, wondering at this new turn of events. I looked over my shoulder to where the Governess was still standing, frozen, and called to her son: "Bye-bye, Tom-Tom!"

"Bye-bye, Amma!" The baby waved to me.

"Tom-Tom," His Mother said in disbelief. "You _spoke_…"

_O~O~O~O_

As soon as I had stepped out of the bath, dried and gotten into robes, an attendant appeared and ushered me out of the spa room and back to my room, where she and four others dressed me, did my hair and makeup, and then deemed me presentable.

I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror in the hall, and had to stop, unable to believe that it was me.

My hair was partially tied up into a top-knot, with the fringe gathered loosely at the back of my head – the rest of my dark brown hair hung down to my shoulders. A Fire Nation emblem adorned the clip in my hair, as well as a fire lily, which had a spicy but sweet fragrance to it and was just starting to come into bloom for the only month it would this year.

My robes were dark red and adorned with gold, although the neck was slightly unbuttoned to reveal my pendant. My hands had been cleaned and my nails carefully manicured – as much as the poor, chewed-through things _could_ be…

My make-up was modest, but brought out my eyes and high cheek-bones.

I looked…_good_.

No, I looked…_different_. Like…less of a girl, and more of a…_woman_.

I touched a hand to my face, feeling the smoothness of my skin. Was this really _me_?

I wondered, briefly, what Zuko would think, and then shook my head, casting the thought aside. Zuko didn't care about me anymore. My feelings towards him were irrelevant.

I sighed, and looked away from the mirror, to see the smiling, ghostly face of a woman who looked a little like me.

"Ta-Min?" I guessed, and the old woman nodded and gestured for me to follow her. Her diamond and ruby drop earrings set in gold starbursts danced as she walked.

I followed her, feeling a little comforted by the fact that another spirit was going to help me face the Fire Lord. Random spirits had been over-seeing my training sessions with Ozai, but I was comforted by the presence of Priestess Ta-Min…

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I had always hated these suppers that my Father had. They happened about once a month, and were about as boring as things could get around here. I hadn't been to one in three years, of course, so I had supposed this one might be a little different.

How right I was.

Firstly, the four members of my Father's war council entered. Following them were Mai's Father and my sister's _sifu_, Lo and Li. The Priestess Zhu came to take her seat on a cushion near to where my sister would sit. Zhu's head of golden hair stood out amidst the sea of raven haired peoples, although blended right in with the décor. The candles that lit the room burned a glowing gold, and illuminated the tall red pillars and matching drapery. The room was known as The Hall Of

My sister and I entered soon after this, and the eight people already in the room bowed deeply to us as we took our seats at the head table of the three long tables that had been set up in a U-shape.

I glanced to my left, and saw that my sister sat not one but _two_ cushions away from me. She glanced at me, identified the circumstances, and frowned slightly.

I was confused as I contemplated this situation and, on a impulse, I looked towards the curtains from which we had just entered.

My heart just about dropped into my stomach then, as a young woman entered the hall and, on instinct everyone but my sister and me bowed deeply to her.

She halted for a moment, looking confused and, in that moment of her own uncertainty, I recognized her.

It was Emma.

I drew in a soft, sharp intake of breath, as I watched her waver on the threshold, before glancing to her left. Though there was nothing there, something about doing that seemed to calm her down slightly, and she continued on her path to the cushion one down from Azula – and next to _me_…

As the war generals muttered to each other, Emma seated herself carefully on her cushion, arranging her robes carefully around her. She turned her head slowly in my direction but, when she made eye contact with me, her expression became closed, and she whipped her head around to face the front of the hall again, just as my Father entered.

Every single one of us bowed deeply this time, although I noticed that Zhu kept looking at Emma strangely for some reason.

Once my Father was seated, servants brought in trays bearing beautiful red and lacquer bowls and ebony chopsticks with precious stones set in the ends. There were also golden wine and tea cups, into which the servants poured the appropriate drinks.

I saw Emma glanced at her wine cup, blush slightly, and then smile as a servant poured her some jasmine tea.

As the servants brought out the first course, my Father turned his head slightly, and said to Emma: "I'm not really hungry, so I have asked for a light meal tonight. I hope there will be enough for you."

Emma paused for a moment, as if listening to something, and then bowed her head respectfully and replied, in her soft, melodic whisper: "Of course, Milord." Beneath the table, I watched her twist her hands nervously.

I felt eyes piercing into me then, and leaned back slightly to see past Emma and my Father.

Azula was looking at me, her golden eyes full of suspicion and question. I merely shrugged slightly. How should _I_ know?

Turning back to face the front, I saw Emma's reaction to the first course.

She looked quizzically at the broth served in a green shell, to be eaten with a big spoon.

"This is…?" She whispered, almost to herself.

I opened my mouth to answer, but Azula beat me to it.

Leaning forwards slightly, my younger sister said: "Turtle-Duck Sea Soup."

Emma froze, with the spoon halfway to her mouth.

Azula laughed softly. "Don't worry, only the shell is from the Turtle-Duck." She took a sip of her own soup, watching Emma carefully with her amber eyes.

"I-I see…" Emma stammered quietly, although she still looked a little uneasy.

I thought I understood why. I was quite fond of Turtle-Ducks myself.

The next course was roast duck.

_It's like some sort of karmic coincidence…_ I thought, glancing around at the war generals, who were speaking quietly to one another, and then shifting my gaze over to Zhu, who was staring at me…no, wait, she was staring at _Emma_ or, at least, at a spot past Emma's left shoulder.

I glanced behind us, but there was no one there and, when I turned around, Zhu had struck up a conversation with Mai's Father.

Between the second and third course, my Father spoke to both Azula and me.

"I am having a meeting with my advisors over the next two days." He said and, although he spoke to only this table, his voice would have had enough authority to make an entire room listen to him. "It is a very important meeting, and I do not wish to have any interruptions."

Both Azula and I nodded in unison, and I thought I saw a light go on in Emma's eyes. Probably she had known my Father was having this meeting – sometimes it was so easy to forget that she was from another world, and had heard stories about these very events.

"Therefore," My Father continued, as an attendant poured him some more wine. "I will need for you two to go toEmberIslandthis weekend. Do you understand?" He took a sip from his wine goblet.

I nodded again, although I was secretly fuming. Father just wanted us out of his way while he had his meeting. I felt like a little kid who always got in the way of his elders or something.

On my Father's other side, Azula replied: "I understand, Father. May I…?"

"Yes, you may bring Mai and Ty-Lee along with you." My Father replied, guessing what Azula had been hinting at. "You will be staying at Lo and Li's vacation home."

I glanced at the two old, identical women, and noticed that Zhu was looking at Emma again. The golden-haired Priestess had her head tilted to one side slightly, and had a searching expression on her face.

Emma was sipping her tea, and trying not to pay attention to this. I noticed that she had cooled her tea down slightly by using Waterbending. I almost smiled, remembering my Uncle heating his tea back in Ba Sing Se, but _then_ I remembered that I had betrayed him, and the thought saddened me. I had been to visit my Uncle a few times since returning to the Fire Nation and, each time, he had refused to speak to me.

Next to me, I saw Emma shift slightly uncomfortably, and was struck by the sudden thought that my Father was sending my sister and me away, but keeping _her_ here. Why? And, why was Emma a slight bit more comfortable around my Father than she should be? How often had they interacted in the past two weeks?

I didn't know, and I mentally scolded myself for not paying more attention to her. No wonder she wasn't speaking to me, either…

As if reading my thoughts, she turned to me again, this time holding my gaze for longer than before.

In her eyes was the look of someone who _wanted_ to say something, but didn't know what. I thought about all the times we had been through together, and knew that I'd have to make the first move if I was going to reconcile things with her.

I opened my mouth to speak, and her eyes brightened. "Em…"

"Emma." My Father's voice suddenly snapped us both out of our reverie, and she turned quickly to face him, nearly hitting me in the face with her long dark hair. I caught the scent of the Fire Lily in her hair, as well as the rose-fragrance that had been used to wash her hair. It left me feeling almost…intoxicated.

"Y-yes, Milord?" Emma stammered.

"I notice that you have been drinking the tea you were served, but that you have not touched your wine." My Father indicated the untouched goblet filled with dark liquid. "You do not drink?"

"Uh…" Emma's back was to me, but I could easily envision the expression on her face. It would have read 'help me'. She paused for a moment, and then said, almost confidently: "I enjoy the occasional drink on special occasions, Milord."

"And," My Father continued, as the dessert – fruit tarts with rose petals on top – was brought out. "I fear tonight is not a special enough occasion for you?" I saw him smile at his own words.

Again, Emma paused, and then she laughed softly, the sound of tinkling bells. "As you wish, Milord." She replied, turning to face the front again. Reaching to take her goblet, which she brought closer to her, she appeared to examine the dark liquid. It was a ruby red colour with a slight purplish-tinge. I thought it looked way too sweet to drink. Emma, on the other hand, looked mildly impressed, although she tried to mask this reaction as she swirled the liquid around a few times, and then raised the goblet up, and breathed in once. She then brought the goblet to her lips and took a generous sip. She held it in her mouth for a few seconds before swallowing.

I just stared at her, as she contemplated the contents of the goblet in her hand. "Lain down in cooled conditions," I heard her mutter. "Probably with an unchanging temperature. Peppery, which is really no surprise considering where we are…well baked of course, and equally balanced…" She gave a slight nod, and then seemed to remember where she was. "Oh, wait…" She returned the goblet to the table, and hid her flaming face behind her golden fan.

I stole a glance at my Father, and was surprised to see a strange gleam in his eyes, one I hadn't seen in awhile. I remembered then how he and my Mother sometimes used to sample different wines made from all over the world, and I even remembered that they'd used words like 'peppery' and 'baked' when describing certain wines from the Fire Nation.

Well…it seemed that, among her other talents, Emma was also quite an accomplished wine connoisseur.

Huh. Who would've guessed it? The shy, whiny, mousy girl from my ship was gone, to be replaced by…a Fire Nation noble.

Just then, a servant approached our table, bowing and looking apologetic. "Uh, excuse me, My Lord," He said, sounding meek. "But, uh, it seems that the entertainment that you requested for this evening has, uh…not shown up?"

A slight look of irritation flashed in my Father's eyes. "I see." He said, calm despite his expression. "And, what do you plan on _doing_ about this?"

"Oh, Father?" My sister spoke up suddenly, in a slightly _too_ innocent-sounding voice that made me wonder what fate had befallen the entertainment at her hands. "I have an idea. Perhaps _Emma_ would be so honourable as to provide the entertainment for us. She is quite an accomplished singer, after all."

Beside me, Emma froze, her face immediately turning pale. I wanted to kill my sister. She was doing this on purpose!

"Is that so, Azula?" My Father asked her.

She nodded. "Why yes, Father. I heard her singing this afternoon out in the courtyard, and also at the club last week. It would be a shame for her to keep her _lovely_ voice from the rest of us." She leaned past our Father when he wasn't looking, and glared at Emma. _I_ leaned past _Emma_, and gave my sister a Look, which she returned with equal intensity.

My Father stroked his beard for a moment, before turning to Emma, and my sister and I snapped back into our places.

"Would you care to grace this audience with your voice, Emma?" My Father asked her, although it wasn't really a question. "I am interested to hear whether or not it is as _lovely_ as my daughter describes it."

Azula smiled a slightly smug smile. My fists were clenched under the table.

What choice did Emma have? "I would be honoured, My Lord." She replied quietly, bowing her head to him in respect. A moment later, she stood up, and the hall fell silent as she made her way to a spot in the centre of the hall that she, Zhu and Azula all seemed to have been looking at even before.

Emma glanced around the hall nervously, before bowing her head to my Father again, and then she looked at me. Her eyes seemed to gleam with suppressed emotion of some sort, as she opened her mouth and began to sing in her lovely, sweet voice.

She didn't take her eyes off of me for the whole entire song.

"_Lately I've been thinking  
>About the things that we've been through<br>And I don't know if I'd be here,  
>If not for you<em>

_I had to take a little time  
>To try to work things out<br>And you should know that  
>I have never meant<br>To let you down_

_Cause I, I  
>Wannna tell you that I'm sorry<br>And I, I  
>Even when I'm not giving enough<br>And I'm taking too much  
>You're still there for me<br>Even when I got nothing at all  
>And I'm ready to fall<br>You're still there for me  
>There for me<br>There for me_

_Even when I can't be there for you  
>You're always there for me<em>

_Sometimes I know I can be  
>So hard to understand (It's ok)<br>Even when I'm lost  
>You show me who I really am<br>Life with me hasn't always been an easy ride  
>But because of you I've learned<em>

_To lose my selfish pride_…" When she sung that part, she reached up to cover her left eye briefly with her hand, and I flinched.__

"_Cause I, I  
>Wannna tell you that I'm sorry<br>And I, I  
>Even when I'm not giving enough<br>And I'm taking too much  
>You're still there for me<br>Even when I got nothing at all  
>And I'm ready to fall<br>You're still there for me  
>There for me<br>There for me_

_Even when I can't be there for you  
>Oh you're always there for me yeah<em>

_Oh no it's love  
>Ooooouuhhh (Oooohhh)<br>It must be love  
>Ooohhh<br>It's gotta be real love (It's gotta be real love)_

_Even when I'm not giving enough  
>And I'm taking too much<br>You're still there for me  
>Even when I got nothing at all<br>And I'm ready to fall  
>You're still there for me<br>There for me  
>There for me<em>

_Even when I can't be there for you (When I can't be there)  
>Even when I can't be there for you<br>You're always there for me_…"

When she finished singing, everyone in the hall was staring at her.

My Father was expressionless, but his eyes were gleaming.

Zhu, I noticed, seemed to have tears in her eyes.

My mouth must've been hanging open.

I guessed that song was for me…


	46. Jail Break

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

Jail Break

_Between the second and third course, my Father spoke to both Azula and me._

_"I am having a meeting with my advisors over the next two days." He said and, although he spoke to only this table, his voice would have had enough authority to make an entire room listen to him. "It is a very important meeting, and I do not wish to have any interruptions."_

_O~O~O~O_

_A Couple Of Nights Ago…_

**Toph's P.O.V:**

I sighed, loudly.

"Okay, Toph, what's the matter?" Said Katara's slightly exasperated voice to my left. It was the fifth time I'd sighed since we'd started the campfire that evening.

I did it again for good measures, and then said: "You know what would be _really_ good for dinner right around now?"

"Lemme guess," Aang spoke up from in front of me. "Emma's Dad's Famous BBQ Potato Scallops?" He sounded a little wistful.

"Yup." I said, flopping down on my back and turning my face up to the stars I could not see.

"Jeez, sorry I'm not that good at it." I envisioned Katara rolling her eyes. "I thought _Sokka_ was supposed to be the complaining guy around here." She added grumpily.

"Well, he's not here, so we're filling in, Sugar Queen." I informed her.

"Besides, when Sokka comes back, he'll be a master swordsman." Aang said optimistically, and I heard Momo chatter in agreement.

"Yeah, but I wonder what Emma will be if-when she comes back." Katara quickly corrected herself. "Maybe she went back to her world, like she almost did last time…"

We were all silent for a moment, and then I posed the question: "I wonder what the world she comes from is _like_…"

"Oh!" Aang suddenly exclaimed. "That reminds me! Let me tell you about the vision I had…"

_O~O~O~O_

_Present Time…_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

Luckily for me, Zuko and the others left early forEmberIsland, and Ozai was too busy with his plans of annihilating theEarthKingdomto worry about our training session, so I got to sleep in.

Which was a good thing, since I'd been up very late the previous night, making plans. I'd been over at the prison, discussing things with Kai and the others, and going over the map I'd managed to get from one of the guards – Ming, in fact, who was kind but completely oblivious as to what was about to happen that fateful Saturday.

As Aiguo had so eloquently put it, we were bustin' out today.

We'd decided to do it during the day, even though that would put us up against slightly more powerful Firebenders. Luckily, we had Kai (I still wasn't feeling confident about my Firebending just yet). Plus, with a little bit of luck, Ozai would be so busy with his meetings that he wouldn't be able to react as quickly to a jail break.

Everyone knew his or her part. The proper planning and calculations had been made, research had been done and I'd spent nearly an entire afternoon and evening scouting out the land. When asked by a random guard what I'd been doing, I'd said I was looking for the first Fire Lilies of the season. He seemed to believe that, and nobody suspected that there was going to be a mass breakout at Capital City Prison.

The term 'break out' perhaps wasn't the right one. It would be more like a 'sneaky exit', or so it was _supposed_ to go.

The thing about plans is that, sometimes, they fall hard…

_O~O~O~O_

I walked smartly through the prison, staying stealthy and keeping to the shadows like a ninja. The less people who saw me, the better. I wore tight-fitting red robes under a plain dark red hooded cloak, and carried with me five more sets of robes, my fan, a long coil of rope, and a water-skin. It was filled to the brim with water mixed with…Cow-Hippo blood. It was the only thing I could get on short notice and, remembering how my macabre combination of water and Dragon's blood had shocked everyone back at Pohuai Stronghold, I thought it was a good idea.

The idea was to get in there and get the others out without being spotted. That was the ultimate plan. If the ultimate plan should fail, then we'd shift to phase two of the operation.

After snagging a set of keys from an unsuspecting prison guard, I got to the cell holding Kai, Jin, Tai-Lung, Aiguo and Ai without any mishaps. Letting myself into the cell, however, I was greeted with the sight of Kai sitting with her back up against the wall, and looking like she was in a lot of pain.

"What's wrong?" I asked warily, quietly unlocking the bars of their cage.

Jin was kneeling beside Kai with a concerned expression on her face, and she turned to me when I came over. "Her water broke, just before you got here." TheEarthKingdomgirl told me quietly.

_Oh no…_ I thought, closing my eyes for a second, feeling the enormity of the situation weighing up on me.

Out of all the possible scenarios we had gone over together and in our heads (mental simulations could affect the success rate of things like this), not _one_ of us – not even Kai herself – had come up with _this_ one.

This was absolutely one of the _worst_ things that could happen right now – Kai was giving birth a month or so early, right in the middle of her endeavour to escape from a heavily guarded Fire Nation prison! I knew then how Sokka must've felt, when Ying had her baby when they were oh so close to Ba Sing Se! Except, this time, freedom was on the line…maybe even _lives_…

"What should we do?" I heard Tai-Lung say from behind me, as he, Ai and Aiguo put on their cloaks, and Tai-Lung handed Jin hers.

"Thanks." She said sweetly, but then asked me: "Emma, what are we going to do? Are we still going ahead with the escape plans?"

I kept my eyes closed. "Umm…"

Just then, a hand grabbed mine, and I opened my hazel eyes to look into Kai's scarlet eyes.

Her eyes showed pain, but her expression was fiercely determined as she said: "You think I want my baby to be born here, in this hell-hole?" She appeared to be glaring at me now, as she moved herself away from the wall. "You think I'm gonna risk that? Come on, Emma, pull yourself together! You're a powerful Bender and Priestess, for crying out loud! If anyone can save us, it's _you_!" She added, meaningfully. 'You're our only hope…"

I lowered my head. "You give me too much credit, Kai. I haven't really done anything yet…" Why did everyone think so highly of me, anyway? I was nothing _special_, or anything…

"But, you will." Kai gave me a strong smile, and I admired her courage and determination as she stood up. "We're all counting on you, Emma."

"Right." Jin smiled, wrapping her cloak around her shoulders. "We're in this together." She held her hand out on front of her.

"To the end." Tai-Lung added, placing his hand on top of hers, and smiling at his girlfriend. For a former Dai Li agent, he really wasn't a bad guy. Besides, this was mostly _his_ plan…

"Or, at least until we're out of here." His little brother shrugged.

"Just put your hand out, short-stuff." Kai snapped, placing her hand on top of Tai-Lung's, and Aiguo rolled his eyes but did as he was told.

"We're going to get out of here and be _free_." Ai trilled, placing his hand on top of Aiguo's. "You'll see…"

They all looked at me.

I gulped, feeling slightly emotional. "But, I'm the one who got you into this mess in the first place." _If it weren't for me, they'd probably still be back in Ba Sing Se, or the circus or wherever Kai was gonna be before she met me…_

"Exactly." Kai agreed, grabbing my hand and placing it on top of Ai's. "Which is why _you're_ gonna be the one to get us _out_ of it. Okay?"

I nodded. "Okay…"

Kai grimaced suddenly. "Right, let's talk about this _after_ we meet up with my Uncle…" She wrapped her own cloak around her, and pulled it up over her messy dark hair. She shuddered slightly.

"Right!" The rest of us agreed.

I steeled myself for the first phase of our great escape…

_O~O~O~O_

"We have just two more flights of stairs to go," I whispered, wishing that my footsteps weren't quite so clicky. Maybe I should've opted for no-shoes like everybody else, but it was too late for that now. "As far as I know, at the front entrance there's only one guard who's supposed to be on duty right now…"

"Then how come I can hear multiple voices and feel multiple footsteps coming from a couple of floors below us?" Tai-Lung asked us.

I stopped everyone, and said to Tai-Lung: "How many are there?"

"About fifteen to twenty." He replied.

"I see."

Tai-Lung glanced at his brother, who nodded and disappeared down the hallway, while the rest of us sheltered under a stairwell.

We waited anxiously for Aiguo's return, all the while Kai's breathing became slightly more laboured, and her grip on Jin's hand increased nearly to breaking point. Meanwhile, Tai-Lung and I were on edge, ready to defend if necessary; and Ai stood on-guard as well.

For awhile, the only sound was Kai's heavy breathing.

"Are you okay?" Jin whispered to her, her greenish-brown eyes worried.

"Sure," Kai smiled bravely. "Nothing to it." Aiguo suddenly appeared by her side. "Don't _scare_ me like that!" The Firebender scolded him quietly.

"Sorry," Aiguo replied contritely. He addressed the rest of us: "Anyway, Big Brother's right – there's more than just one person down there. Fourteen men and six women. All of them Firebenders – it's the annual Firebenders' Function at the prison today." He added, rolling his eyes.

The rest of us groaned.

"Okay," Tai-Lung said. "Phase two, everyone. Let's go." He looked at me, and I nodded back to him.

We led the way down the hallway. At the stairs, Ai and Tai-Lung went one way, while Jin and Aiguo went the other way along with my rope. That left Kai and me to head down the stairs.

The voices were closer now and I could indeed hear that there was a whole group of them. I could also hear the sound of Firebending, which reminded me of my lessons with Ozai and caused me to hesitate.

"Hey, Emma?" Kai said from behind me. "Focus, remember?"

I nodded, and thought back over our plan briefly. It was time to put it into action.

We were on the southern side of the crater where the capital was situated. We were surrounded by rocks, which were perfect for Tai-Lung to bend. Aiguo and Ai would also be able to easily make their way across the difficult terrain. Add to that the fact that Tai-Lung, Kai and myself were Benders, and we were going to be able to pull this off, I was sure of it.

As Kai and I approached the entrance, she reached forwards and clasped my hand. I glanced over my shoulder at her, and she met my gaze with an expression of pain from beneath her hood. I squeezed her hand back, reassuringly, and prayed that the others were alright.

"Hey, you two!" A voice suddenly barked, and we both froze and looked over as a pair of guards came striding towards us. The one who had spoken said: "Where are you two supposed to be right now?"

"We've just reached the end of our shift," I answered for the both of us, standing partially in front of Kai. "We're heading back to the city."

"Yeah, I just finished a sixteen hour shift myself." The second guard nodded sagely. "Those inmates on the first floor are total _savages_."

I nodded, and Kai and I walked forwards as the two guards stepped aside to let us pass. The exit was in sight! Just another twenty paces, and…

"Wait a minute!" The first guard called to us, and both Kai and I froze again.

_They know, they know…_ I thought desperately. I didn't like the form this plan was taking…

"What happened to that short kid there?" The first guard pointed.

As Kai bristled beside me, a voice from outside suddenly yelled: "_Jail Break_!"

"_That_!" I told the two male guards, who exchanged a look and then made to run past me and Kai. We both suddenly stepped aside, and I reached up and clonked the heads of the two guards together. "And this!" I looked at Kai. "Come on! It sounds like Aiguo and Jin are already out there! Hurry up and put these on!"

We both grabbed the helmets and chest armour of the two unconscious guards, and put on our disguises, over our robes. Both sets of armour were a little bit too big, but I didn't think that anyone would notice in the commotion.

Kai and I both hurried outside (with Kai lagging a little), and arrived on the scene to find Jin and Aiguo surrounded by a group of Firebenders.

"You two!" Somebody said, noticing Kai and me. Would we _ever_ be known as anything else? "Help us to subdue these escaped prisoners!"

Kai and I both moved in then, assuming Firebending stances. There was no way either of us could take on this many Firebenders at once so, for now, we had no choice but to pretend to be guards.

"Leave it to us." Kai called, a little breathlessly, and I glanced at her in concern as the other Firebenders moved back, and Kai and I moved to the outside of Jin and Aiguo. The twoEarthKingdomkids pretended to look nervous, and then feigned running away, and Kai and I struck from either side, grabbing onto their arms to prevent them from escaping. "You thought you could get away from us?" Kai said, shaking Aiguo's arm.

"Ow! Stop it, you short-legged hag!" Aiguo cried.

Kai looked about ready to kill Aiguo when, suddenly, she was forced to let him go, as she doubled over in pain, and groaned.

"Kai!" I cried, and then realised that Aiguo wasn't trying to run away like he should be.

The Firebenders surrounding us came to that conclusion at the same time I did, and immediately surrounded us, just as I caught sight of someone using Rock Hanging to slide down the stone prison wall, and then he jumped off and slammed both his feet firmly into the ground, causing fissures to appear in the earth. They arced in a circle around us, causing the encircling Firebenders to fall into the ditches.

As Tai-Lung raced towards us, and Ai _danced_ his way, after having somehow scaled the stone wall, more guards poured out of the prison building.

Kai was gasping, hunched over on all fours by now, as Tai-Lung and Ai reached us.

"Get her out of here!" I shouted to the others, uncapping the top of my water skin. "I'll take care of this!"

"That wasn't part of the plan!" Jin cried, sounding frantic.

"The plan didn't include labour!" I said to her, keeping my eyes on the advancing guards. "Now, go!"

I watched as Ai helped Kai onto Tai-Lung's back and then they, Jin and Aiguo headed towards the path leading down from the mountains.

"Stop right there!" A guard shouted, aiming fire at the retreating figures.

I immediately summoned up my Chi, drawing the red-stained water from my water skin and flicking it out to my left to create a shield to block the flames.

The guards seemed a little uneasy when facing the red water, and I heard one of them mutter: "What _is_ she?"

I drew the water around me to protect me from the incoming fire blasts, and then pushed it out from me in water whips, to whip away three guards.

More fire came towards me, and I jumped up, drawing the water around me in swirling spirals. I saw a number of shocked and awed guards looking up at me as I jumped over their heads, but there was a method to my madness. As I landed behind them, I whipped the water around behind _me_, in a move completely inspired by Katara's invasion of the palace in Ba Sing Se.

Unfortunately, there was no pit for these guys to fall into, and I had to turn around fast when I felt the heat of flames behind me. With little and no time to react, I was forced to forget about my water and block the fire Firebending-style.

_This_ caused the guards attacking me to stop, confused, until somebody shouted: "The Avatar!"

I bristled. "I am _not_ the Avatar!"

The ground suddenly shook beneath me, and fissures appeared again, forming ditches which the new guards fell into.

I looked up to see Tai-Lung standing at the precipice, hands on the ground, but he straightened up when the guards were rendered helpless, and said: "Then…what _are_ you?" He sounded calm, but I could tell that he wanted answers.

Behind me, I heard the sounds of angry guards descending the building, heading downstairs to detain the escapees. It sounded like there were at least _fifty_ guards. "Uh, can we talk about it later?" I asked Tai-Lung, dodging trenches as I made my way over to him. "It's kinda a long story…"

"You can tell me on the way down." He replied, grabbing my arm and jumping over the edge of the cliff…

_O~O~O~O_

**Karai's P.O.V:**

_Ow, owch, oh my freaking spirits, my blood spirits, ow, ow, OW! ! !_

I was clutching Ai's shoulder blades so hard, I had to give him credit that he didn't complain. We were on a downwards course towards the beach, and I was trying not to scream. For me, not screaming when I feel like this is an _amazing_ feat. I deserved a medallion for this, I think.

The ground levelled out presently, which made running a lot easier for Ai, Jin and Aiguo, but not for _me_!

I was in so much pain right now, more pain than I had ever been in before! I wished somebody had _told_ me this is how it would be, but, then again, what would I have done differently?

Not get pregnant?

Yeah, right. I didn't have much of a _choice_ on that matter now, did I?

As Ai ran through the trees, towards the sparkling blue waves we could see in the distance, he suddenly stumbled.

"What's wrong? !" Jin asked, alarmed.

"It's my ankle!" Ai was limping now, and had to stop, setting me down on the ground gingerly. I saw that had ankle was starting to swell already, which is never a good sign. He was probably in a lot of pain already. Well, I could sympathise with that…

Just then, Ai looked up. "Hey, what's that?" He pointed to a golden shape flying towards us. "That beautiful golden bird?"

"It's Yang-Chong!" Aiguo cried, as the bird let out a low, melodic call that was so like Emma's voice.

I suddenly let out a sharp cry of pain, feeling like my time of the month, worst ever stomach ache and kick-to-the-stomach-from-some-random-Firebender were all coming to me at once – that's how bad this pain was. It was all situated to my front, which would have been good if I'd been able to lie down – but we were in the middle of a jail break right now!

Jin grabbed my hand. "Kai, hold on! We just have to hold out until Emma and Tai-Lung get here!"

"Is that them?" Aiguo pointed, as Yang-Chong landed on a tree branch beside us.

I squinted into the trees. "No…that's…"

"Firebenders!" Jin gasped.

I made my decision quickly. "Aiguo, Ai, you two grab onto Yang-Chong's talons and let him carry you across the sea! Jin, stay behind me!" I got shakily to my feet.

"But…" All three of them protested.

"NOW!" I shouted, and Yang-Chong jumped onto a higher tree branch and crowed once.

Ai and Aiguo each grabbed onto one of his talons, and the phoenix took off into the air, effortlessly carrying the two of them towards the sea, despite the fact that his feathers were falling out.

I pushed Jin behind me as I turned to face the Firebenders and, taking a deep breath to summon my Chi _and_ try and stem the pain that intensified when I stood up, I summoned up flames in my hands and arced them towards the onslaught.

_When my baby asks me later on,_ I thought, as I set the trees nearby on fire to allow Jin and me to run to the beach, and also to signal Emma and Tai-Lung. _'Mamma, when was I born'? I'm gonna be able to say…_ I felt the heat of the fire ran hot through my veins, distracting me momentarily from the pains of contractions. _'Baby, you were born during one of the Fire Nation Capital Prison's first ever jail breaks'. You're a baby of the revolution…_

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

Tai-Lung and I skated onto the beach, to find Kai and Jin being overwhelmed by a group of Firebending guards. I could see even from where I was that Kai was in pain. She was still Firebending, but her face was covered in sweat, and ghostly pale.

Jin looked up once, and cried out: "Tai-Lung!" Just as she was grabbed from behind by two Firebenders.

"_Jin_!" The former Dai Li agent sped forwards, bringing up pointy rocks in order to send many of the guards flying. His stone hands shot out, and grabbed the two guards holding Jin, by their throats.

They were tossed aside roughly as Tai-Lung reached Jin, and Kai suddenly stopped Firebending and staggered forward, clutching her stomach.

"Urgh…" She said softly, just loud enough for me to hear her.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment, as a group of guards raced towards her, spears and flames at the ready.

_No._ I thought and, for some reason, an image of Kai standing on the deck of a Fire Nation ship with many other soldiers – including Zuko, Iroh, Zhao and Jee – came into my mind.

I closed my eyes for a second, feeling the familiar feeling tingling inside of me. Pink light danced between my eyelids and, when I opened my eyes, it was glowing around my hands as well.

I ran forwards, leaping over the guards and landing between them and Kai.

I swept my hand holding my fan out, and blew a huge gust of air that sent all of the Fire Nation soldiers flying.

Then, I turned to Kai.

"_What can I do_?" I asked her, surprised by my echoing voice.

"The…the baby's coming!" She gasped, clutching her stomach. "The baby is coming NOW!"

What could we do?

_O~O~O~O_

I moved myself, Kai, Tai-Lung and Jin underwater using an air bubble. Tai-Lung then created an earthen tent underwater, allowing no spaces except for a small breathing hole to go up to the surface.

As I prepared Kai for her labour, she began gasping again.

"Breathe, Kai, like you're Firebending!" I told her urgently, trying to remember what Katara had told me about delivering babies before.

Who would have thought, that after all this, I'd actually be doing what she'd done before getting to Ba Sing Se?

I thanked my lucky stars I'd decided to sing that one song back in the desert.

Jin assisted me, while Tai-Lung sat by Kai's head and allowed her to squeeze his hand as hard as she needed to. It was made of rock, so it didn't break.

"Em-Emma!" Kai gasped, as the contractions began again. "I have…I have to tell you something…the truth…the truth about my pregnancy!" She gasped again, and then screamed in pain.

"Keep breathing and pushing!" I instructed her, positioning myself where I needed to be.

"Emma!" Kai gasped, searching for me with her scarlet eyes. "The baby…the baby's Father…is…Zhao!"

"What?" I gasped, momentarily taken back, and then I kept on with my midwife-experience while Kai told me her sad tale.

_O~O~O~O_

_Kai walked along the ship corridor, heading towards the showers. She walked into the room, happy to find it empty, and immediately set about undressing in order to wash all the dirt off her body. It was dim and dark in the shower rooms, but she didn't mind._

_Just then, she heard someone behind her and, reacting instinctively, attempted to Firebend, but he grabbed her arms with surprising strength in just one hand. She tried to scream, but he covered her mouth with his hand._

_It was a deep voice that spoke to her, whispering in her ear. "I'm sorry, little Priestess," He said, almost sounding apologetic. "But…I _need_ your Ching…the Fire Lord will understand…I _need_ this power…"_

_She tried to struggle, but it was no use._

_"Priestess…please…become one with me…" Zhao whispered. "Share in my power, as this was meant to be…please…"_

_Kai bit his hand, and he let go of her, and she cried: "What are you _talking_ about, Admiral Zhao? !"_

_She thought that, once he found out who she really was, that he'd stop, but he didn't. She couldn't believe what happened next and, before she knew it, she was left crying and shaking on the cold shower floors._

_Zhao stood over her, silhouetted against the dim light. He spoke with contempt to her. "You deserved this." He'd said to her, shaking his head. "If you tell anyone, then the whole world will know what you are. You're no Priestess." He walked away from her, leaving her sobbing in the water. "You're nothing…"_

_It took Kai awhile to figure out that Zhao had mistaken her for Emma, due to the dimness in the room and her short height and short height._

_She had immediately gone to her Uncle, and he and his other crew members had defected immediately from the Fire Nation, intending to seek safety in Ba Sing Se…safety that never came…_

_O~O~O~O_

I felt my heart pounding as Kai finished telling her tale. Jin was pale, and even Tai-Lung seemed a little shaken.

"Kai…" I said, my voice still shaking, as I tried to steady it and the baby I could feel was coming. "Zhao…he…he's dead…"

"G-good!" She said, a little angrily, as she pushed some more.

"But he…he died…protecting me, at a time when I couldn't protect myself," I admitted, remembering that night on the bridge. "I know he did some bad things, although I didn't know then _how_ bad, but…I believe everyone is redeemed when they die and…I can't hate him…he's the Father of your child, after all…" I said, a single tear sliding down my face. "I'm sorry for what he did to you, though…I hope the rest of your life makes up for it, though…"

"Emma…" Kai sighed. "I know…I kinda hope…my baby is a boy…I want to name him Jet…even though the Jet I knew…hated me for being Fire Nation…when he died…I _knew_ it and…I wanted to name my son after him…" She said, and then she screamed again and nearly tore Tai-Lung's hand off. "_It's coming_!"

"One last push!" Jin exclaimed, coaching her through it.

"Come on Kai, you can do it!" I encouraged her. "He was right about one thing – you _deserve_ to be a Mother! You're _not_ nothing!"

Just then, Kai gave one last push, and then there was the sound that all of us were more relieved than ever to hear – the sound of a baby crying.

"It's a girl!" I exclaimed, holding up the crying newborn, as Jin cut and tied the umbilical cord like I'd shown her.

Nothing on earth could have prepared me for this, as I held the crying baby girl in my arms. She was…one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen and her eyes, they weren't blue like a regular baby's, but a brilliant, ruby red. She was truly beautiful.

"Aima…" Kai said, sighing in relief. "Aima…Jee…I was afraid…when Azula…kicked my stomach…there'd be…problems…but…here she is…my beautiful…baby girl, Aima-Jee…" She reached for her baby but, just then, she gasped, and I literally _saw_ another contraction tear through her body.

"How many of those have you _got_ in there? !" I cried, handing Aima-Jee to Jin, as Kai began pushing and screaming again.

"Come on, Kai!" Tai-Lung encouraged her and, with a final push, the baby was out.

"Well, Kai," I said, looking at the second red-eyed baby. "It looks like you got your boy after all…"

"Jet…Lee…" She whispered, exhausted, but her voice was shining…

I gazed upon Aima-Jee and Jet-Lee, and thought that I knew _why_ Kai was so radiant now…

I was still shaken by her story, though…

_O~O~O~O_

Later on that day, I was washing the blood off my robes in the ocean, far away from the beach facing the island that the others were now on. They were all there, and I'd stayed with them as long as I dared.

Now, however, I was trying to figure out a way to get back to the palace unseen, when a voice behind me said: "Emma."

I turned, to see Fire Lord Ozai standing on the beach, looking straight at me.

I stood up, and faced him. "Yes?" I asked, just a hint of contempt in my voice. "Fire Lord _Ozai_?" I knew that he knew what I'd done.

The Fire Lord's eyes flashed. "We need to have a talk…"


	47. Life's A Beach

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

Life's A Beach

_Luckily for me, Zuko and the others left early for __Ember__Island__, and Ozai was too busy with his plans of annihilating the __Earth__Kingdom__ to worry about our training session, so I got to sleep in._

_Which was a good thing, since I'd been up very late the previous night, making plans. I'd been over at the prison, discussing things with Kai and the others, and going over the map I'd managed to get from one of the guards – Ming, in fact, who was kind but completely oblivious as to what was about to happen that fateful Saturday._

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

"I'm so excited to spent the weekend onEmberIsland." Ty-Lee said, standing on the deck of the ship being pulled through the water by a huge Sea Lion. "It's gonna be great to hang out at the beach and do nothing." She smiled.

"Doing nothing is a waste of time." I replied, standing up and walking out of the shade to rest my elbows on the railing. "We're being sent away on a forced vacation. I feel like a child."

"Lighten up." My sister scolded me lightly, from her place on the deck where she stood beside Ty-Lee. "So Dad wants to meet with his advisors alone…without anyone else around. Don't take it personally."

_Yeah?_ I thought, as Ty-Lee turned to Azula and began asking her questions about our family's beach house on the island. _Then why didn't he send _Emma_ away like the rest of us?_ Leaving Emma alone made me feel uneasy…leaving her alone with my Father made me feel extremely apprehensive, although I wasn't sure why. I kept thinking back to the dinner we had had, and the way those two had acted around each other. It made me feel…unsettled. The way they bad both behaved really did remind me of how my parents _used_ to act, back in the old days. It was almost scary, in a way, how much Emma resembled my Mother (and, in a lot of ways, she _didn't_ – my Mother hadn't been as temperamental as Emma was). That was probably why she had been a good match for my Father – where Mother was calm, Father was…not. I was pretty sure they had loved each other, though. I remembered the summers we'd spent onEmberIsland, and how they had acted then.

"We used to come here every summer when we were kids." My sister was telling Ty-Lee, as if reading my thoughts.

"That must've been fun!" The acrobat replied.

It _had_ been – back then when there wasn't any pain or turmoil in our lives. Those days had long ago ended, along with my parents' marriage. While it had been up to our Mother to raise my sister and me, I had always managed to picture her and Father together. My Mother had been a strong and gentle woman, and it was a little scary how, when Emma showed her grown-up side, those two women resembled each other. My Mother had been the most important overall person in my life and, I had thought, Emma could be the most important girl in my life…somehow…that not only would she fill the emotional gap left in my heart when I'd lost my Mother, but also that she could be…something much _more_ to me…

"That was a long time ago." I said, in answer to my own thoughts and Ty-Lee's previous comment. I glanced back at Mai, still sitting in the shade, and thought: _A_ really_ long time ago…_

_O~O~O~O_

Lo and Li had arrived at the island before us, and stood out on a dock waiting for us.

"Welcome toEmberIsland, kids." They said in perfect unison.

I glanced past them, and looked at where we would be saying. Compared to the other beach houses around here, it was…

"_Quaint_." Ty-Lee whispered, as we made out way up the stairs.

"I think you mean 'ramshackle'." Mei said in her usual monotone.

I could practically _see_ my sister trying hard not to say anything about our accommodation as we walked inside the beach house, which looked like an antique shop.

As I walked around, looking at all the trinkets, I wondered what Emma would have said had she been here.

_These are so cute!_ She probably would have said, although maybe not in the same tone of voice that Ty-Lee would use.

And, speaking of Ty-Lee…

"Who are these two beautiful women?" She asked, standing in front of a painting of two young twins standing back-to-back in a symmetrical seductive pose.

Lo and Li approached her. "Can't you tell?" They stood in front of the painting and struck an identical pose. "It's Li/Lo and me."

I had to cover my mouth then, sickened slightly by the sight. Jeez, couldn't these old ladies show a little bit of decency every now and then? My Uncle would've probably _loved_ them…

Lo and Li led us to another room filled with more old furniture and beach souvenirs.

Ty-Lee really liked the décor.

"Ooh, I _love_ this seashell bedspread!" She exclaimed, snuggling against a pillow.

"What _don't_ you like?" I muttered, but she didn't hear me.

"Are you serious?" Mai stood over her. "It looks like the beach threw up all over it."

I had to agree with her on that one.

If Emma had been here, she probably would have agreed with Ty-Lee.

Lo and Li said that they understood we were upset about having to come here, but they told us to keep in mind that Ember Island was a magical place that could help us to understand ourselves and each other, and that the beach had a special way of smoothing even the most ragged edges.

Yes, my Uncle would have gotten along well with them. As my sister yawned, Lo and Li stripped off their robes to reveal their elderly bodies in swimwear.

"Time to hit the beach!" They exclaimed.

As Mai covered my eyes with her hand, I thought: _No, these two ladies don't know the _meaning_ of the word decency…_

_O~O~O~O_

At the beach, a few things happened that weren't out of the ordinary. Azula destroyed a sandcastle, making two little boys cry and run away. Ty-Lee became the focal point of nearly every single teenaged guy on the beach, and knew _exactly_ how to lap up the attention. Azula was jealous.

Mai and I sat together under a beach umbrella – Mai didn't like to get too much sun on her skin. I saw a seashell sitting on the sand to my left, and picked it up.

"Here…" I held the shell out to her. "This is for you."

"Why would I want that?" Mai asked me, sounding bored.

"I saw it and thought it was pretty." I replied, a little confused. "Don't girls like stuff like this?" I thought about Emma suddenly. If I'd presented _her_ with this shell – or anything else pretty, for that matter – then she probably would have blushed and said something along the lines of: _Thank you…I like this very much…_

But, not Mai. She turned away from me and said: "Maybe stupid girls."

I threw the shell away, angrily. "Forget it!" I got up and stomped across the sand, deciding to walk through the shallow water to calm myself down. The moving waters were cool against my feet, and the movement of the waves actually somehow reminded me a little bit of Emma, and how she used to calm me down when I got upset.

My methods worked, and I returned to Mai with a special treat – cold ice-creams, one for each of us.

"I thought since it's so hot…here…" I held the ice-cream out to her, but the pink scoop fell out of the cone and landed on her lap.

She looked down at it. "Thanks." She said, in a cross between Mai-monotone and sarcasm. "This is really refreshing."

I just sighed. If it had been Emma, she would've probably been able to Waterbend it off her lap or something, eaten it quickly, and then been straight into the water to wash the rest of it off.

Or something.

I also wondered what she'd look like in a bikini…

Azula suddenly called us all over, saying we were about to play a game of Kuai Ball. As I flicked off my outer robe, a flock of birds flew up behind me, and four Fire Nation teenage girls thought that this was jut about the most dramatic thing they had ever seen. Emma probably would have agreed with them.

My sister is just about the most competitive person on the face of this planet. She practically _lives_ to win, and to make sure the opposition can never fight back. I've lived with Azula for eleven years, so I was used to this. But these guys…they weren't ready for Hurricane-Azula.

The final serve of the game ended with her causing a miniature explosion and setting fire to the Kuai Ball net.

She said: "Yes! We have defeated you for all time! You will never rise from the ashes of your shame and humiliation!" She then turned back to us and spoke casually. "Well, that was fun."

I smiled a little, thinking about how Emma would _not_ have agreed with my little sister. She'd once told me that high school sports (whatever high school was) had been the _bane_ of her existence, and how on earth could _anyone_ appreciate sports that weren't martial arts?

Two teenage boys approached us. One was buff with a Fire Nation top-knot, and the other was lanky with his hair tied up in a half-bun.

The buff one addressed Ty-Lee. "We're having a party tonight." He told her. "You should come by."

"Sure!" Ty-Lee chirped. "I _love_ parties!"

It was true. Ty-Lee was really into that sort of thing.

"Your friend can come, too." The lanky boy added, indicating Mai.

I should have felt jealous then, but I didn't, because I was too busy wondering what Emma's reaction to the party would have been.

Probably something along the lines of: _M-me? But…I dunno…_ She was kind of shy like that, and I knew for a fact that she'd never been to a Fire Nation teenager party before.

Azula managed to get me and her invited to the party as well, although I was a little suspicious at the fact that she didn't tell these two boys – Chan and Ruon Jian – who we were. And, what did she mean by we'd 'do our best to act _normal_'? What the hell did that even _mean_?

_O~O~O~O_

Normalcy is probably overrated.

We arrived at the party early, after Lo and Li had encouraged us (basically) to have fun at said party.

Chan let us all in, to the extravagant room which was furnished well, considering that Chan's Father was an Admiral. Heh. If he'd known who _our_ Father was, he'd be a little more nervous by now.

"That's a sharp outfit, Chan." My sister said suddenly. "Careful. You could puncture the hill of an Empire-Class Fire Nation Battleship, leaving thousands to drown at sea…" She pointed at the outfit. "Because it's so sharp."

If Emma had been here, then she would have probably broken a rib or two trying not to laugh at this statement. I was surprised to realise that I could recognise what kind of situations would bring out certain reactions with the other-worldly girl.

As Chan led us inside, we saw Ruon Jian examining his hair in a mirror. He turned towards us and said: "Hey, first ones here, huh?"

I scoffed softly as we walked past him, and said to Mai: "He thinks he's so great. Well…what do you think of him?"

Mai replied: "I don't have any opinion about him. I hardly know him."

That annoyed me. Why couldn't Mai ever give anyone a straight answer? If it had been _Emma_, then she probably would have said something about how stuck-up Ruon Jian seemed, and I would have known not to be suspicious. It was strange, because Emma was so unpredictable, but I seemed to know what she was thinking anyway. With Mei, however, it was a different story.

Throughout the party, Mei hardly spoke to me and I hardly spoke to her. It was a completely uncomfortable situation, and I couldn't help comparing it to the Star Festival back in Ba Sing Se. Although I hadn't been myself at that stage, I still remembered everything that had happened. Writing our wishes on the tree, meeting up with Jin, her helping me to win that purple dragon from the cheating store merchant, finding Yang-Chong, performing together onstage, the almost kiss…

If I'd had a fight with Emma in front of hundreds of people, then one of two things would have happened. She would have yelled back at me and I would have stormed out, then she would have followed me and either apologized or yelled at me some more, making me feel bad. Or, she would have burst into tears and run away, and then _I_ would have followed _her_, and had to comfort her somehow.

Mai, however, just walked away from me, and I stormed out of the house by myself.

I had one destination in mind, not knowing that it was going to cause a whole lot of painful memories for me…

_O~O~O~O_

Emma probably would have killed me for burning a family portrait but, right then, I didn't care, as I stood by the flames and watched the image of my once happy family burn, fading away from my eyes but not my mind.

I ended up yelling at Ty-Lee, and she ended up crying and defending her reasons for acting how she did. She sobbed her story of how growing up with six identical sisters had taken away her identity. If Emma had been here, then she would have comforted Ty-Lee, but also gotten annoyed at Mei for insulting the acrobat.

When Ty-Lee said that Mei's aura was pasty and grey, Mei interrupted that she didn't believe in auras.

"Yeah, you don't believe in _anything_." I told her.

She made a comment about not being as high-strung as the rest of us, and I told her not to keep her feelings bottled up inside.

Azula remarked that Mei's strictly controlled childhood was the reason why she couldn't express herself, and Mei finally got serious.

"You want me to express myself?" She stood up, and yelled: "Leave me alone!" She glared at Ty-Lee, Azula and finally at me. "Especially you…all this evening, you haven't been paying attention. You've been so distracted, it's like you're not even here at all." She sat back down again.

I cringed. I didn't really think it was that noticeable. "I've…had a lot to deal with." I replied.

"Zuko," My sister spoke up. "You don't have to be so cryptic. We all know you've been having conflicting feelings over Mei and Emma lately."

I glared at her. "That's not true!"

Ty-Lee made a comment about how this stress would be bad for our complexions, to which I remarked bitterly that I didn't _have_ that luxury. Why couldn't Ty-Lee just _think_ before she spoke?

"For so long, I thought that if my Dad accepted me, I'd be happy." I said, staring out at the moonlight glittering off the dark waves. "I'm back home now, my Dad talks to me. Huh, he even thinks I'm a _hero_. Everything should be perfect, right? I should be happy now, but I'm not. I'm angrier than ever and I don't know why."

Well, perhaps _one_ reason was that Emma was still not speaking to me. I _hated_ that, for some reason. Hadn't I once said that, no matter how much she ran away from me, that I'd keep bringing her back? It had annoyed me back then when she wasn't around, and it annoyed me now.

I suddenly also realised, through that and through the girls trying to get me to talk, that I was angry at myself.

Azula wanted to know why, and I replied: "Because I'm confused." I shook my head. "Because I'm not sure I know the difference between right and wrong anymore. Because I keep making mistakes and hurting people I care about…" Right then and there, I wished Emma was here. She would have held my hand and said nothing, just comforting me with her presence.

"You're pathetic." Azula responded. "You love Mei or you love Emma – make up your mind already. Don't be so indecisive."

Ty-Lee looked a little surprised. Mei remained impassive

"I guess you wouldn't understand, would you, Azula?" I asked her sarcastically. "Because you're just so _perfect_."

"Well, yes, I guess you're right." She replied indifferently. "I don't have sob stories like all of you. I could sit here and complain how our Mum liked Zuko more than me, but I don't really care…" She looked at the glowing embers left from the fire, and her voice softened. "My own Mother…thought I was a _monster_…"

If Emma were here, she would have looked at Azula with sympathy, but not been sure what to say. None of us knew, actually…I felt a little bad for my only little sister, though…

"She was right, of course." Azula went on, diminishing my pity. "But, it still hurt."

No matter how you looked at it, my sister was _definitely_ our Father's daughter...

Ty-Lee remarked that what Lo and Li had said came true. Her tears had dried, and she told us that she'd always remember this.

Azula, however, had an idea of how to make the trip even _more_ memorable…

_O~O~O~O_

After we finished trashing Chan's house, and then setting fire to it for good measures, the four of us were on our way back to Lo and Li's house when Ty-Lee looked up at the night sky and said: "Ooh, what a pretty golden bird!"

We all looked up, and my heart seemed to leap into my throat. "Yang-Chong…" I whispered, watching the phoenix circle above our heads, and then fly off in the direction of Lo and Li's house.

Without hesitation, I took off running in that direction, faster than I'd ever run before it seemed, my heart pounding in my chest.

Yang-Chong was here…did that mean that Emma was here, too? ! Why? How had she gotten here? Had something happened? Had she run away?

As I ran up the steps leading up to the house, however, my footsteps slowed, and I walked slowly through the front door to find Lo and Li still awake, and waiting for me.

"She's in there." They said in unison, pointing to the room the girls and I were staying in.

I nodded silently, and walked towards the door, although I paused, with my hand on the doorhandle.

What would I say to her? What would _she_ say to _me_? After thinking about her nearly all evening, and imagining what she'd being doing or saying if she'd been there…now that she actually _was_ here,I didn't know how to react…

I squared my shoulders then. I'd never know unless I went in there. So, with that thought in mind, I opened the door and stepped into the room.

_O~O~O~O_

The room was mostly dark, except for a single candle burning on a small table that also had two cups of tea and a tea-pot on it.

A figure was standing with her back to me, one arm resting on the window sill, and the other supporting the golden phoenix, who was looking very ragged.

"E-Emma?" I said, feeling awkward suddenly.

"Close the door." She replied, in a melodic whisper and, I did so, because it was the first time she had spoken tome in weeks.

After I did this, she turned around, and gestured for me to sit down which I did. Emma came and sat across from me, her golden eyes bright in the dimness.

She looked at me, paused for a second, and then moved her hands slightly. The other candles in the room sparked to life, illuminating everything.

"Emma…" I stared at her, and she looked back at me, expressionless. "How did…when did…?"

"I've been learning for about a week." She replied quietly, picking up her tea cup and taking a sip from it. "It's been…_interesting_…"

"Who's been teaching you?" I asked her, the thoughts burning into my mind – Emma had been learning Firebending, the most dangerous of the four arts. Why? Who had been her mentor? I knew that the type of teacher could make half the difference…

"That's not important." She responded, setting down her tea cup. Behind her on the windowsill, Yang-Chong regarded me with a steady blue gaze. "I didn't come here to tell you that."

"Why did you, then?" I asked her, a little bit angrily. "Why are you here?"

"I was told to come here." She informed me, placing her hands on the table in front of her. "Ordered to, in fact."

"By my Father?" I guessed.

She nodded. "By your Father. I suppose I should start at the beginning." She took a deep breath, and went on: "For starters, I did something. Something bad. Something I _had_ to do, but that your Father did not particularly agree with."

"What did you do?" I whispered, anxious now. Her story was taking on a dangerous note.

"Do you remember our friends from Ba Sing Se?" She asked me. "Jin, Tai-Lung, Aiguo and Kai?" I nodded. "Well, they and another person whom you've never met were incarcerated in the same prison as Uncle – but, not anymore."

I gasped. "You _broke_ them out of _prison_? Emma, what were you _thinking_? ! I'm surprised my Father didn't kill you for doing that!" I clenched my fists to try and keep my temper under control. I'm gone for not even a _day_, and she gets herself into this amount of boiling hot water!

She hung her head. "I know, I know, it was risky, but I had no choice."

"Of course you did." I crossed my arms and glared at her. "There's _always_ a choice."

"Zuko," She looked up at me, her eyes gleaming. "Kai went into labour during the jail break. We were almost captured, but we managed to get away. She gave birth in an underwater tent constructed by Tai-Lung's Earthbending." I just stared at her, unable to believe what she was saying. "Anyway, your Father found out, of course. He actually already knew."

I nodded. "Yeah, he _always_ knows. If you had of asked me about it, I would've been able to tell you how hard it is to keep secrets from him."

"Well, you haven't exactly made it _easy_ for me!" She snapped, taking me by surprise. "You've either been too busy being a Prince again, or going out with your new girlfriend, to tell me _anything_!"

"For your information," I told her angrily. "Mei and I broke up this evening, and it doesn't look like she's going to want to take me back, either!"

"That's because you get angry at the smallest possible thing!" Emma retorted. "You snap at _everyone_, even the people closest to you. Oh, and while we're on the subject, how _dare_ you make Ty-Lee cry like that!" She gave me an accusing glare.

"Ty-Lee cries over every little thing someone says to her that's mean." I responded, taking a big sip of hot tea. "She needs to get some back-bone."

"It's not that easy." Emma whispered, fiddling with the straps of her red dress. I noticed now that she was wearing a red tube top with a matching sash around her neck that clipped with a gold flame-shaped buckle at the left side of her waist. Her skirt was long, and had a second layer of pleats running from her left hip down to her right ankle. It suited her. "If you haven't got a lot of confidence in yourself…if your self-esteem levels are low, then insults like that can make you hurt, no matter _how_ much you try and act brave. When I was bullied throughout school, it cut so deeply into the image I had of myself, that it become twisted and warped. I actually started to _believe_ that what they were saying about me was _true_."

"What did they say about you?" I wanted to know.

She smiled slightly. "Oh, you know, the usual. They would call me a freak, or an anorexic weirdo, and exclude me from everything. I was an outcast because of the things I liked, the things that I liked doing, like reading and drawing…and I didn't get any different reviews on that at home, either." Her voice shook slightly, and my heart seemed to tighten just then. "I didn't get along with my parents. I miss them _now_, of course but, back then…they would pressure me _so_ much to try and fit in with everybody else, to act like most people my age. I couldn't do that, because I didn't think people would accept me. They controlled most aspects of my life, from what I was allowed to do and where I was allowed to go. They would even lock me out of my room for weeks at a time, and even threaten to make me sleep outside in the shed. If they got _really_ frustrated, then they'd…" She stopped suddenly, as tears dripped from her eyes and into her lap. "I was so scared…" She whispered.

"What did they do?" I asked her, surprised by the gentleness in my voice. "Why were you so afraid?" My heart was pounding by this stage.

"At school, when I was nine, I was really small, and a bigger girl used to beat me up almost everyday, until I was too terrified to go to school. I thought I'd never have to go through something like that again, but…" She bit her lip. "My parents are also so much bigger than me, and their tempers…the day my Father slapped me on the face I thought my world was going to end." Her shoulders shook now. "My Mother would grab me by the hair, or push me across the room not caring _what_ I fell into. She even drew a little bit of blood from tearing my ear piercing one time. Even my sister had hit me at times, causing me to fall to the floor." She was crying now. "I couldn't tell Mum and Dad while it was happening, because I was so scared…"

With my heart pounding in my chest, I went around to her side of the table, and wrapped my arms around her. She buried her face in my chest and said: "Mum and Dad are so proud of my sister for having a job, a boyfriend and for building a house, and they never threatened to kick _her_ out of home…" Her voice was muffled. I could feel her tears wetting my chest.

I twined my fingers through her soft dark hair, and muttered: "For a teenager, that's just not right…" I frowned. Emma's parents weren't winning any popularity votes with me.

"Zuko…" Emma suddenly pushed herself gently away from me, and looked up at me with bright, golden eyes. "I need to tell you something…when I came to this world from my own…I actually de-aged, somehow…" My eyes widened. "I think the goddess Qi-Feng did that on purpose…back then, when you asked me how old I was, I hesitantly answered eighteen because I didn't _know_ anymore, but I don't think you heard me. I'm actually a lot closer to sixteen…" She dropped her gaze. "In truth, my actual age is twenty-one."

I was silent for a moment, stunned that she had chosen to share this personal information with me after we'd been like strangers for so long. At last, I looked at her, and said: "I don't care. No parent should treat their offspring the way you've been treated and, trust me," I reached a hand up to touch my scar. "I know."

"Don't misunderstand me," She said quickly. "My parents care for me a lot, and I know they're only trying their hardest to make sure I get somewhere in life. I am by no means perfect – I've done a lot of things that, now, I ask myself, 'why did I do those things'? At the time it seemed okay. I think coming here, learning how to survive, how to protect myself and others, and having to live for somebody _other_ than myself…that's been good for me." She smiled a little, and then her smile faded. "Unfortunately, sometimes doing the _right_ thing can lead to this." She moved her head slightly to the left.

"Lead to what?" I asked, confused.

She looked right at me. "Zuko…your Father ordered that I put my lessons to good use, and duel an Agni Kai against you."

I gasped. "He said _what_? !" I cried.

"Ssh!" She shushed me. "I don't want the others to know about this, _especially_ not Azula. It's partially because of her that I'm _in_ this mess in the first place. She tipped your Father off about my actions."

I was silently fuming, but mostly I was in shock. Duel and Agni Kai? Against _Emma_? Why _me_?

"He actually gave me the choice between you or your sister," Emma went on, confirming my worst suspicions. "And, I was really scared when he was talking to me, because I don't know what else he's thinking. But…if it's you, then I'll be okay, because I know you won't hurt me…" She blushed and looked away.

I looked at her. She was right about that. "I'll meet you on the beach tomorrow at sunrise." I told her, taking her hands in mine. "But…we don't _have_ to do this."

"Yes, we do." She pulled my hands closer to her, yanking me so that I was right up close to her face. She sounded scared. "Zuko, if we don't, a lot of people are gonna get hurt! Trust me…"

I nodded. "I see." Damn my Father for putting us through this! "Do Lo and Li know about this?" She nodded. "Well, with any luck, they won't tell my sister. They can witness our duel, and we can just…I dunno…_fake_ it?" I suggested.

She giggled. "Actually, your Father didn't really say what would happen if I _won_…he just said I had to duel or else…well, you know…" She smiled at me, and then stood up, dragging me to my feet as well. "I'd better go out there and see Ty-Lee – I need to tell her that her circus friend Ai is safe."

"Ai?" I repeated.

"He's kinda a cross-dresser." She explained.

"Kinda?" A raised an eyebrow. "Either he _is_ or he _isn't_, Emma."

She grinned. "Okay, he _is_. And, he's getting along _very_ well with a certain member of your old crew, Prince Zuko, for your information."

"Okay, _too_ much information." I informed her. "Wait, so then…?"

She nodded. "Yeah. The escapees are with your former crew – I don't know if your Father knows this yet, or not, and if not then I plan to _keep_ it that way. I don't want them getting captured again. I want Kai and her babies to be able to have some peace and quiet from now on."

"Babies?" I blinked.

"Is there an echo in here?" She said, and I rolled my eyes. She grinned. "Yeah, Kai had twins. A girl called Aima-Jee and a boy called Jet-Lee." It was _her_ turn to roll her eyes, but I wasn't sure why.

"So, you were there for the birth?" I asked her.

Her face softened, and her eyes glittered. "There? Zuko, honey, I _delivered_ those babies!"

I gaped at her. "What? How?"

"Do you really wanna know?"

"No."

"Good." She smiled. "Anyway, for that reason and other reasons, Kai named me their Spirit-Mother – she even asked me to be the one to anoint them when the time comes. Now she just has to decided which spirits to ask to guide them. I say water, she says fire, Tai-Lung says earth." She shrugged. "Anyway, I'm glad we had this talk."

"My too." I replied and, on an impulse, I drew her close, so that our noses were touching.

I felt her pulse quicken as our lips drew closer together, my fingertips were tingling in anticipation.

Suddenly, we heard a cough from the doorway, and turned to see my sister standing there, leaning against the doorframe looking suspicious.

I gulped. How much of this did Azula _hear_?

Emma jumped back from me like I was on fire. After glaring at my sister, she gave my hand a quick squeeze and then said: "You know, I think I'll go around through the front door." She headed over to the window, and swung her body through it, saying: "Ali-yup!" And then she was gone.

Yang-Chong ruffled his feathers (four of which fell out) and then followed her. We could hear her humming some weird, mysterious-sounding music as she scaled the wall of the beach house.

I was glad she was feeling better now.

My sister looked at me as I turned back to her, and said: "You chose _that_ freak over _Mei_?"

"Go jump in a lake, Lulu." I responded, which earned me a glare that hardly affected me at all.

I was actually quite looking forward to seeing Emma at our mock-duel at sunrise…


	48. Reconciliation

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

Reconciliation

_"He actually gave me the choice between you or your sister," Emma went on, confirming my worst suspicions. "And, I was really scared when he was talking to me, because I don't know what else he's thinking. But…if it's you, then I'll be okay, because I know you won't hurt me…" _

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I had hardly slept a wink that night, which is a _really_ bad thing if you're about to fight a Fire Duel the next morning. I was sleeping out on the couch anyway, so I wasn't really missing any form of _comfortable_ sleep. The good thing was that my Fire Duel was against Prince Zuko, which meant I could relax. I was more than a hundred percent sure that Zuko was _not_ going to hurt me on purpose, and that he would be trying extra hard _not_ to hurt me by accident, either.

I was still nervous though, for some odd reason, and so I got up at the darkest hour and went for a walk along the beach. I walked through the waves, silently letting the waves lap up around my ankles. Yang-Chong walked about ten paces to my right, enjoying the sand well out of water's reach. I was surprised he had decided to com with me since, last night, I'd basically told him to just hurry up and burn already. He'd gotten a bit huffy about that, and pecked my forehead, so now I had a bandage there and Yang-Chong was pretty much ignoring me.

Huh. I guess phoenixes consider their burning days to be pretty personal. Well, I hadn't actually _seen_ him burn yet – the first time had been when I'd been unconscious up at the North Pole, and the second time had been in the middle of a desert after I'd been kidnapped. I thought that, if I got to see him burning here, on Ember Island, in the _Fire_ Nation, then it might be really special.

I had a lot of things to think about now, like where I was going with this and what did I want. What did I hope to accomplish in this war?

There was no way I could stay out of it now. I was too heavily involved with it. Like it or not, my destiny was intertwined with that of Prince Zuko's – but, it was also woven in with Aang, Katara, Sokka and Toph. The sooner Zuko realised what _he_ wanted, the better (for everyone). I knew that I couldn't leave without him now, because of this strange nagging feeling in my heart that told me I was in love with the Prince. Come the day of the invasion, however, and we could hopefully leave together.

Then, I could tell the others the truth about my time spent on Zuko's ship, and all would be well. Well, all would be well except that Aang was scared about facing the Fire Lord and all. That kid had such a huge responsibility and destiny to face, I felt _so_ bad for him, even though I knew he'd sort of accepted it. It was just so strange that the Avatar was _one_ person who had the _entire world_ to look after. Where was the sense in that?

I sighed, and then noticed that the sky was starting to lighten.

"Well, Yang-Chong," I turned to face him. "Will you come and watch my duel with Zuko?"

Yang-Chong turned his head from me and, had he been human, he would have probably 'hurmphed'.

I got the gist of it, though. He was still annoyed at me. "Well, _fine_ then!" I turned my head away from him, too. "I'll see you after, then!" We stormed away from each other, which probably would have looked very comedic to anyone who happened to be watching…

_O~O~O~O_

I knelt on the rocky part of the beach, with a shoulder wrap around my neck. I wore knee-length dark red pants and a red halter-neck top. I had taken off my choker for the occasion.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Lo and Li turn, and heard footsteps stop on the rocks behind me, some ten or so feet away. I heard them stop and then crouch down, mimicking my movements, then stand up and turn around. I heard the swish of a shoulder wrap, and knew that this was my cue.

I stood up as well, and felt my own shoulder wrap slide to the rocks as I did so.

I turned around…

And found myself gazing into the fiery anticipated golden eyes of…Princess Azula.

My heart practically stopped beating then. Lo and Li didn't look in the least bit surprised, which was more than could be said for me.

"Where's Zuko?" I asked nervously, feeling cold in my palms and neck suddenly, which was _not_ a good thing since I was supposed to be Firebending in a minute.

I didn't like the look in Azula's eyes. She reminded me a little bit of Zhao, only not driven to obtain anyone's _ching_ but a cold and calculating witch.

"He couldn't come." Azula smirked – and then she attacked.

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I awoke slowly and groggily, to something very sharp stabbing into my forehead.

"What the…_ow_!" I cried, sitting up fast, and holding my slightly bleeding forehead in my hand. I glared at Yang-Chong as best I could, considering how I felt, and said: "What the hell was _that_ for?"

The phoenix flapped his moulting wings and jumped right up into my face, startling me and causing me to fall out of bed. "Ow! What the hell is _wrong_ with you? !"

He jumped up onto my head.

That was when I noticed that all the other beds were empty, and that the sun was up.

What? ! Did I oversleep? But…I _never_ oversleep…unless…

I stared at the table in the room, at the leftover tea cups from last night. After Azula had come in, she had been surprisingly chatty, and had even refilled my drink for me…

At the time, I hadn't felt any different, but now…it was like my head was stuffed full of cotton…

Which meant…

I ran from the room, and Yang-Chong clung to my hair, digging his talons into my scalp but, for once, I didn't care. I ran out into the living room, where I found Ty-Lee braiding Mai's hair. I stopped for a moment, since Mai looked so different without her usual ox-horns hairstyle.

"Oh, hi Zuko!" Ty-Lee chirped. "Want your hair done, too?"

"No," I said quickly, looking around. I didn't see Emma or my sister, or Lo and Li for that matter, which was making me feel very apprehensive. "Where is everyone?"

"Well," Ty-Lee spoke slowly, which irritated me. "Lo and Li were gone before we left, and Emma's been gone all night just about, and Azula said that she was going to the beach this morning…hey, where are you going? !" She cried, because I had run to the front door of the beach house and thrown it open so hard that it bounced off the opposite wall.

I ran down the stairs three at a time, feeling heat and panic rising up in my chest as the world seemed to blur around me.

Azula had put something in my drink last night, something that had made me oversleep. And now…she was down on the beach, duelling an _Agni Kai_ against _Emma_!

The thought of my cruel, powerful sister duelling against someone like Emma was enough to push me to run faster, going in the direction I, somehow, knew I needed to go. It was a mark of how suddenly worried I was about Emma, how much my heart was twisted if I pictured her scarred or dead, that suddenly getting to her was all that mattered to me. I didn't care if it caused my Father to hate me again – I was stopping this duel!

I heard the sounds of the fight before I saw it and, if it was possible, then my heart would have twisted even _more_. As it was, I was already running as fast as I possibly could, the sand flying out around me until I reached the rocks. Yang-Chong clung to my head as I scrambled over the rocks, and then ducked as a flame went flying over my head.

My hands shaking, I launched myself over the final obstacle, staring at the horrific scene before me.

Emma was lying on her back on the rocks, staring in horror up at my sister, who stood over her with a smirk on her face. Both her fists were in front of her, ready to fire the fatal shot.

I shouted: "_No, please, don't do it_!"

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

As I barely managed to dodge another of Azula's ferocious shots, I thought that this is _exactly_ why I wanted to duel her brother instead! Azula had a frightening severity to her attacks, one that reminded me of her Father. However, where Ozai's were more built up on dominance, Azula's had almost a coldness to them…she was somewhat _crueller_ than her Father…somehow…

"Very good Azula!" Lo and/or Li coached the Princess. "Break her roots!"

Azula seemed to be having fun with this, but I could sense the hostility in her attacks.

She was easily able to dodge the flames I sent at her, and laughed mockingly at my attempts to unbalance her.

"You're a pathetic excuse for a Firebender, peasant!" She told me, blocking again. "Even my brother knows that! Why do you think he didn't come? !"

"He _did_ want to come!" I yelled, pausing for a second to catch my breath. "You must've done something to him!"

"No, I didn't!" She smirked, sending a wave of fire at me, which I had to leap out of the way to avoid.

"Then why isn't he here?" I asked, getting up quickly.

"Because he doesn't care about you, that's why!" She responded.

"You're lying, Azula!" I felt my heart pounding in my chest. She always lies, right?

She laughed at this. "Am I?" She directed a wave of fire at me again, and this time I fell.

I landed on my back hard, and the breath was knocked out of me when I hit the rocks.

The bandage that had been on my forehead now flapped in the wind, as Azula moved to stand over me, a smirk forming on her painted red lips as she moved her fists into position to burn me.

My heart seemed to stop then, as she said: "Hmm, now where should I burn you? Do you want a scar to match Zuko's?"

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I realised, up until now, I had never experienced fear like this before. I could see my horrified face reflected in Azula's golden eyes, and knew that this was it.

_Zuko…why didn't you come?_ I closed my eyes, bracing for the searing pain that I knew would come. If it had hurt like hell on my wrist, then it was going to be almost _unbearable_ on my face. Perhaps I would faint…yeah, that'd be okay…

Just then, as if in a dream, I heard a familiar voice shout: "_No, please, don't do it_!"

My heart started racing wildly then, as the familiar tingling spread all throughout my body. I knew that voice – it was Zuko!

My eyes snapped open.

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I watched as Emma registered my voice, and then her golden eyes opened quickly.

"How about _neither_? !" She cried.

I saw, although I'm not sure anyone else did, Emma's right fist clench, and then pound the ground slightly. As soon as she did that, the ground shook slightly; causing my sister to stagger to her right, and the flames from her fists missed Emma, who suddenly sprung up, pushing herself up and over my sister. I watched in shock as she twirled gracefully, like Ty-Lee, and then landed behind Azula and spun around in the same movement, sending an arc of red flames towards me sister, who only just managed to dodge, but then Emma struck again, forcing my sister back. I noticed then that the waves had started lapping up against the rocks that Emma was forcing my sister to move back towards.

My eyes widened slightly. Was Emma…?

And, just then, Azula slipped on the wet rocks and fell, landing on her back on the rocks. Emma rushed up to her, but hesitated, with her fists pointed directly at Azula.

I couldn't see the expression on my sister's face, because Emma's back was blocking her, but I heard the ferocity in her voice as she said: "Do it!"

Emma, realising that if she hesitated any longer, then Azula was going to get back up, suddenly fired two blasts of fire at my sister's head.

Lo and Li both gasped, and even I was frozen in shock, as Emma looked at Azula for a second, and then turned and began to walk back.

Just then, my sister got up, and I was surprised to see her face unscarred until I saw the smouldering edges of her hair.

With a howl of anger, she unleashed a wave of lightning at Emma's back.

Yang-Chong suddenly leapt from my head and, with a loud cry, intercepted the bolt of lightning, which lit up his body with crackling blue sparkles. His wings sent off a shower of sparkles, as he flapped there in the air, his blue eyes bright.

Emma herself had now turned around and, with a pink glow in her hands, swung her body to the side and caused rocks to form swiftly up Azula's arms and legs, encasing her as she added water and ice to the mix to cover up Azula's mouth.

I was stunned. Emma was…she truly was…the…I couldn't even _think_ it…

Though she couldn't talk, the look in my little sister's eyes was enough to send shivers down my spine, as she struggled futilely against her new bindings.

Emma marched right up to Azula, and said, angrily: "_Azula, for God's sake, would you think about what you do before you do it? ! You are Ursa's daughter and, for once in your life, I just wish you'd act like it! You're not a monster, so don't make people think you are_!"

Her words rang with a strange vibrato. My heart trembled like she was yelling at _me_ instead, and I saw Azula's eyes widen slightly, to be replaced by a look of hatred. Emma simply stared at her.

The staring contest went on for a moment, but I could only look at Emma.

She then turned, and ran to the rocks, leaping over them. I heard her running down the beach.

Without a moment's hesitation, I followed her, leaving Lo and Li to take care of my sister.

_O~O~O~O_

I found Emma further down the beach, standing knee deep in water with Yang-Chong in her arms. She was facing away from me, staring out at the sea but, as I waded towards her, she spoke to me.

"Do you know what the worst part about that was?" Her voice had lost that echo, to be replaced by a soft melody.

"I've a feeling you're going to tell me." I replied, stopping a few feet away from her.

"Everything I just accused her of, _I'm_ guilty of, all in the last ten minutes or so…" She replied, her shoulders sagging. "I _wasn't_ thinking about _anything_ I was saying or doing back there and, quite frankly, I must come across as some kind of a monster, the way I'm always yelling at people like that…especially her…" She half turned to face me then. There was a big red graze on her forehead. "She just gets me so…I dunno…_frustrated_…like, I _wanna_ just take her and put a nicer personality into her, but in the end all I can do is yell at her…" She sighed.

"It's not that hard to do." I replied seriously, understanding what she meant. "My sister has that effect on a lot of people. Most of them are just too scared to stand up to her."

"Oh, don't get me wrong." Emma turned to face me then, and that was when I realised she was crying. Not a lot, but just enough so that tears dripped down her face and into the calm blue sea. "I was _so_ scared…when she showed up instead of you…" She closed her eyes, and more tears fell. "I was really _terrified_…"

I waded towards her then, closing the distance between us and wrapping my arms around her.

She leaned her head against my chest, cradling Yang-Chong between us, and murmured: "Azula said…you didn't want to come because I wasn't strong enough…"

"That's a lie." I stated firmly, resting my chin on the top of her head.

"It is?" She asked.

"Mmhmm." I replied. "Emma, Azula put something in my drink last night that made me oversleep…"

"She did _what_? !" Emma gasped. "Why would she do that?"

"I have a few theories, none of which you need to hear," I responded. "The point is…Emma…when I saw you duelling against my sister…when she nearly burned you…I was…" I took a deep breath, and then continued: "I was _really_ scared. I was more scared than I've ever felt in my life."

"You were?" She asked, pulling back slightly and peering up at me with curious golden eyes.

I nodded. "Yes. And, not because I thought you were too weak to stand up to her, just…" I looked away, a little bit embarrassed. "Seeing you in the exact same position I've been in before…I didn't want you to have to go through that…"

"Awww…" She blushed a bit, and then reached up a hesitant hand to touch the spot on my forehead where Yang-Chong had pecked me. Her touch was soft and cautious, like she was afraid to make contact with me, but her fingers left a pleasant tingling over the skin of my face where they trailed. "Prince Zuko, you can be very, very sweet sometimes." She sighed, and dropped her hand down. "Unlike me…I shouldn't have yelled at her…"

"If you mean at my sister, then don't be sorry," I told her. "It's about time someone beat her _and_ gave her a piece of their mind. Besides," I smirked slightly. "I _like_ it when you get angry like that. It makes you look cute."

"Thanks, I think…" She replied, but she looked a little uncomfortable. "Umm, Zuko, about the _Agni Kai_, I…" She suddenly gasped, and I knew why.

The phoenix in her hands her suddenly glowed white, and the heat radiated off of him. He shrieked.

Without thinking, I grabbed Emma's hands in my own; at the same time Yang-Chong burst into flames.

Emma's face was alight with shock, her golden eyes wide as the fire surrounding Yang-Chong burned and blazed. It was hot and bright, and should have scalded both of us but, somehow, our hands remained unmarked.

The heat blazed with a kind of intensity that I'd never felt before. It radiated from the burning phoenix, and surged up my arms and through my body, reaching every corner and travelling through every limb. It wasn't painful…in fact…it felt _good_, like I suddenly had my very own sun right there in my heart.

From the look on Emma's face, I knew that she felt it too, and I was suddenly elated to be sharing this incredible experience with her.

A rare smile formedon my lips, and was met with Emma's own smile that lit up her entire face…and my heart.

In that instant, I knew that we were intertwined somehow…that we were _bonded_…

Yang-Chong shrieked again and then, quite suddenly, he was gone, and Emma and I were left standing together, holding nothing but a pile of ashes.

She was breathing hard and so was I; there was a warm, tingling glow left all over my body.

As we stared, the ash sifted through our fingers, and a tiny red bird landed in the cradle formed by mine and Emma's interlocked fingers.

The baby phoenix looked up at us with huge blue eyes, which slowly filled with tears as he looked around at the water we were standing in. He started to cry, loud squawks, and flapped his almost non-existent little wings unhappily.

Emma and I looked at each other, and then she started laughing.

I felt like the smile had been permanently fixed on my face, as Emma cradled the bird to her chest. Since I didn't let go of her hands, _mine_ where placed right over her heart, and it beat in-synch with mine.

_O~O~O~O_

Emma and I spent the rest of our last day onEmberIslandtogether, avoiding my sister and her friends as much as possible. That suited everyone involved just fine, especially my sister, who was still smarting from her loss that morning.

Emma and I walked around town, sightseeing and stopping every hour to feed Yang-Chong glowing coals. She even let me do it, although he bit me a few times, so now I had bandages on my fingers. Seeing Yang-Chong like this now, however, was different than the first time, because I'd also seen him burn. The magnificence of the flames…it had had an impact on me, for sure…

I took Emma to my family's old beach house, mainly because she'd asked me where it was.

She was quiet as she walked through the halls, silently examining old paintings and various other items from my family's past. I wasn't saying anything either, as Yang-Chong and I watched Emma run her hands over the dust on one of my Mother's favourite mirrors.

I saw both our faces reflected in the mirror – one scarred and one perfect – and remembered what my Mother had said about people accepting me for _who_ I was, not _what_ I was. Emma had said that she would always know my heart and, somehow, I believed her. I watched as she traced heart in the dust on the mirror, and wrote something in the heart.

As we were walking out of the house, Emma looked over at me and finally spoke.

"I feel…" She said softly, as a warm breeze blew her hair across her face. On an impulse, I reached over and picked a white thornless rose off a tree, which I tucked behind her ear to hold her hair in place. She blushed, and continued: "This place will be very important for both of us someday." We stopped to watch the sunset. "That's what I feel."

I reached out to take her hand, and she turned towards me.

Yang-Chong was asleep in the crook of my arm, so I leaned down to Emma, our lips were mere centimetres apart, and…

"I've been looking for you two." A monotone voice said, and Emma sprang back from me again. We both turned to see Mei standing on the top step of the flight, her face showing no emotions as usual, but her eyes telling a different story. "Azula wants you both to come back _now_ – or else."

"Or else _what_?" I asked calmly.

"She didn't say." Mei replied, just as calmly, as she looked at the white flower in Emma's hair. Her eyes seemed a little…sad? "Just come back now." She turned and walked away, but called over her shoulder: "Oh and, a word of warning…Azula's not going to take your relationship very well. Not that I care, or anything…"

Emma and I watched her go.

"Has she always been like that?" Emma whispered to me.

I sighed. "Pretty much, yeah."

"Did you two really break up?" Emma wanted to know.

I ran a hand through my hair, feeling tired all of a sudden. "Is it that obvious?"

"Kinda…" Emma looked thoughtful. "You should apologize to her, okay?" She smiled up at me. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine!"

"Are you sure?" I asked her, doubtfully.

She nodded. "Of course – I know what she's going through, after all!"


	49. The Phoenix And His Flame

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

**Author's Notes: Happy 2012! !**

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

ThePhoenixAnd His Flame

_"Oh and, a word of warning…Azula's not going to take your relationship very well. Not that I care, or anything…"_

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

Upon returning to the Fire Nation, Zuko and I endeavoured to keep our relationship a secret. This was actually a lot easier than it _should_ have been, since Zuko was so busy being a Prince, and I was straight back into my Firebending lessons. I hadn't told Zuko who my teacher was yet, which was probably a good thing. He would have _freaked_…it had been bad enough that he was suddenly asking me a lot of questions about where I was throughout the day and who my teacher was…I'd changed the subject each time, and occasionally just said it was a random person.

I knew he'd find out eventually, and just hoped he wouldn't yell at me or anything…

Being back in the Fire Nation for the first day or so had been tense – until nobody had mentioned the jailbreak.

That confused me, although what confused me even _more_ was when nobody mentioned my duel with Azula…not even Azula herself, although _that_ wasn't so surprising…

She now had the strange habit of calling me to her for no reason other than to help her with her hair, or to give her fashion advice (fashion advice? From _me_?). She usually did it when I was with Zuko, and I wondered if it was like some form of strange avenging-karma…

I didn't understand everyone's behaviour. I couldn't get anywhere _near_ the prison at the moment (they'd upped the security and all) and going to see Kai and the others was a no-no as well. They – the guards – were now watching me like Messenger Hawks, which meant that I couldn't go to the island and risk it being discovered (by them).

So, I was stuck in the palace, being treated like royalty and training at dawn every day, nurturing the newborn Yang-Chong, and trying to find some time to see Zuko every now and then. It kept me busy, so I didn't really have _time_ to worry about Azula and Mei.

It wasn't until four days later, when Ozai and I were training together, that my world fell apart…

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I walked through the halls four days after we'd come back from EmberIsland, waving off servants who approached me, and looking for Emma. I had hardly spent a _minute_ with her since returning to the palace, and there hadn't been any time to discuss our relationship, if that's what it was. I wasn't entirely sure if what we had _was_ a relationship, but I _was_ fairly certain that it was our lack of 'alone time' that was contributing to this unsureness.

I found Azula, standing in a hallway and berating some poor serving girl for spilling the tea.

"_What would have happened if you'd spilled this on me_? !" My sister yelled.

"I-I'm sorry, P-Princess!" The poor attendant squeaked, her forehead pressed to the floor. "P-please forgive me!"

"You're fired." Azula replied coldly, and the attendant let out a sob and ran from the hall.

I watched her go, and then said: "You know, there's gonna be nobody _left_ here if you keep on firing people like that." It was the third one this month. Or, was it the fourth? It was so hard to keep track with Azula…

Azula shrugged. "So what?" She looked around. "Emma should be here. She makes good tea…for a peasant…"

I shook my head. "I don't know where she is. I've been looking everywhere for her." I gave my sister a Look, one that meant 'stop calling her peasant'.

My sister raised an eyebrow. "You don't know? She's in the Agni Kai Chamber."

"What's she doing in there?" I wanted to know.

Azula rolled her eyes. "Getting a manicure." She said, sarcastically. "Look, Dumb-Dumb, what do you _think_ she's doing? She's _training_…" She suddenly got a sly look about her. "Wanna go watch?" She suggested.

"Can we?" I blinked.

Azula shrugged, again. "Probably not. Still, I want you to see this."

_O~O~O~O_

Azula and I snuck into the Agni Kai Chamber, making sure to keep as quiet as possible, which wasn't really necessary considering all the noise coming from in there.

My insides had turned to ice upon entering the place of my dishonour and shame. I wanted to turn around and run back out, but curiosity got the better of me, and I hid behind the stands with Azula.

My eyes opened wide when I saw the fight.

Fire surrounded Emma, in a series of blazing arcs, which spiralled around her body as she dodged the fire-infused punch aimed at her by…

My heart nearly stopped beating, as I watched my Father battle the girl I cared about.

There was a ferocious edge to him that had always frightened me, but now, when Emma was the one on the receiving end of such power, I was utterly _terrified_.

But, even more surprising, was Emma's own power.

It was a side of her I'd never seen before, not even in her duel with Azula. Her moves were a lot more aggressive than I had ever seen them before. There was sweat glistening on her bare arms and stomach, and all of her attention was focused on the man in front of her. She suddenly swung her arms out in front of her, directing all of her fire at my Father. At the same time, he did the same thing.

An explosion followed, and both Azula and I shielded our eyes from the heat.

When the smoke subsided, Azula and I looked again.

My Father stood in the middle of the arena, which floor now looked very crumbly.

Emma knelt respectfully three feet away from him, her shoulders heaving with her heavy gasps. Embers fell from the sky, settling on the broken tiles.

"You have done well, Emma." My Father said.

"Thank you, _Sifu_." She replied. I noticed that her strange pink light glowed around her forehead.

I was frozen now. Emma's Firebending teacher was…my _Father_?

"I understand that you were able to defeat my daughter in your _Agni Kai_." My Father continued.

"Not easily, Sire." She replied. "I almost lost. Princess Azula is an incredibly talented Firebender…" Was it just me, or did she look a little bit uncomfortable, and…just the tiniest bit…_guilty_?

"As, it seems, are you." My Father said, evenly. "Many older Firebenders who have been training for _years_ have been unable to defeat her. But you…I only wish I had been there to see it."

"I followed your orders, Milord." Emma replied, with just the tiniest edge to her voice.

I didn't realise that my fingernails were digging into my palms until I accidentally broke the skin. I rubbed my hand on my robes.

"Yes, you did." My Father nodded. "As per our agreement, the prisoners will not be searched for, and Karai and her babies will not be executed."

It was becoming increasingly harder for me to breathe by that stage, and I hoped I wouldn't faint. Beside me, Azula had gone still all of a sudden.

"Thank you." There was a _definite_ edge to her voice now, and I wondered why my Father hadn't lost his temper yet. His back was to me, so I couldn't see his face. I was suddenly very aware of the fact that he was bare-chested, and this fact did nothing to quell my nerves.

"As you remember, before I sent you toEmberIsland, I mentioned a second part to our agreement." My Father said. "If you won…which you did. I am pleased. Rise, Emma." He commanded.

She did so, and I caught the uncertain look on her face as she did.

My Father leaned down, and his raven hair swung down between them, obscuring his and her face as he said something to her very quietly.

I don't know what he said, but about twenty seconds passed, and then Emma gasped audibly, and taken about six steps back, clutching her left hand to her chest and looking horrified. Her face was now sheet white, and she was shaking.

She stood there for a few more seconds, and then turned and ran. Her footsteps echoed in the otherwise silent Agni Kai Chamber and, when she reached the wall, she Earthbended straight through it. Said wall shattered upon impact, and she just kept on running.

Under the cover of the crumbling wall, Azula turned to me and whispered: "What was _that_ all about?" Her eyes were glittering, since she was so sure Emma was gonna get into trouble after this. Running from my Father, and then shattering a wall…she'd _really_ done it this time…

"I dunno…but I'm gonna find out." I vowed quietly, and stealthily exited through a side door.

_O~O~O~O_

I searched all over the palace for Emma, but couldn't find her anywhere. I debated whether or not to run to my Uncle for help, and eventually decided to.

However, I was halfway to the prison compound, when I was approached by the golden-haired Zhu.

The Priestess walked calmly towards me. I stopped, and waited, tensely.

"You just missed her." Zhu told me.

"Who?" I just looked at her.

She sighed. "I know you're looking for Emma. Yes, she's very upset, and yes, I think you're the only one who could calm her down right now. I couldn't, and neither could your Uncle…" She gave me an intense look. "Perhaps what she needs right now…is _you_."

_O~O~O~O_

The first place I looked for Emma was her room, but she wasn't there.

Yang-Chong was sleeping on a pile of blankets and pillows, in a patch of sunshine streaming in through the window. Next to him was a map. I recognized Emma's hand-writing – it looked like she'd been using the map to practice writing for _this_ world. _Jun, a bounty-hunter with a Shirshu that can track people's scents. Tough. Loves money._ I wasn't sure what that meant, but Emma had marked this Jun's location on her map. What's a Shirshu?

I suddenly became aware of a presence behind me, and turned to see Emma standing there. There were tear tracks on her face, and she looked more upset than I had _ever_ seen _anyone_ before…

"Emma?" I instinctively held out my arms to her, but she didn't accept them. I took a step towards her. "Emma, what's wrong? What happened?" I took her by the shoulders. "Emma, talk to me? Tell me what happened…" I shook her slightly, worried by her behaviour.

"I can't…" She whispered, tears gathering in her eyes. "He made me promise…"

"Who did?" I asked urgently. "My Father? What did he say to you?"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Zuko, but…we can't be together anymore. And, not for the reason you think…"

I felt like someone had just rammed an ice-rod down my throat. Stunned, I asked her: "Why? Did my Father find out about us?"

She shook her head again. "N-no, it's not that, it's just…" Tears dripped down her face, as she detached herself from me, and then pushed me outside of her room, and slammed the door shut.

"Emma?" I called to her through the door. "Emma, please let me back in!" I pounded on the door. "Emma, we have to talk about this, _please_ open the door!"

There was no answer and, after about five minutes, I gave up. I sat with my back leaning against the door, staring up at the ceiling.

What had happened? What had my Father said to her, to make her so upset? Why wouldn't she talk to me about it?

Unaccustomed tears formed in my eyes, and I blinked hastily to stop them from falling.

Then, on the other side of the door, I heard soft sobbing, and envisioned Emma sitting with her back leaning against the other side.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked softly.

"I'm sorry, Zuko…it's killing me, too…" She replied, but she still wouldn't tell me what was going on.

I now knew how she and Mei had felt the times I'd broken up with them.


	50. The Priestess And The Fire Princess

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER FIFTY

The Priestess And The Fire Princess

_What had happened? What had my Father said to her, to make her so upset? Why wouldn't she talk to me about it?_

_Unaccustomed tears formed in my eyes, and I blinked hastily to stop them from falling._

_Then, on the other side of the door, I heard soft sobbing, and envisioned Emma sitting with her back leaning against the other side._

_"Why are you doing this?" I asked softly._

_"I'm sorry, Zuko…it's killing me, too…" She replied, but she still wouldn't tell me what was going on._

_O~O~O~O_

**Aang's P.O.V:**

_Through the flames, Avatar Roku appeared, and he spoke to me._

_"Aang," He said. "It is time you learned my history with Fire Lord Sozin. You need to understand how the war began, if you want to know how to end it."_

_I blinked. This sounded almost like it was going to be a revalation...like it might be the most important thing I had ever heard._

_"Meet me on my home island on the day of the summer solstice." Avatar Roku went on, showing me an image of an island with two volcanoes. I guessed this was the island where Avatar Roku had once lived._

"Okay, Roku." I mumbled in my sleep.

I didn't realise that I'd spoken out-loud until I heard either Toph or Katara (probably Katara) mutter: "I am _not_ a boy..."

_I know, Katara...I know..._

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

_I walked through the mist, which seemed a lot thicker than it should be, and was glittering silver. Through the haze, I saw the shadowy figure of my Mother, reaching out to me, and I began to run towards her._

_The image then shifted, and became Emma, as the fog cleared. We were standing in a land of ankle-high water, and she was wearing a long white dress._

_"Zuko!" She called out to me, reaching out desperately as a shadow crept up behind her in the water and began to wrap around her. Where it touched her, her skin turned red. "Zuko, help me!" She cried._

_I began running, trying to reach out to her, but she was being pulled away from me into the depths of nothingness._

_"Zuko!" She cried, her voice choked with tears._

_"Emma!" I shouted._

I sat bolt upright in bed, breathing heavily...and that was when I heard footsteps outside my door. Jumping up to investigate, I rushed into the hall to see a cloaked figure disappearing down the hallway.

I started to go after him (her?), but was then distracted by a scroll placed deliberately upright in the hall.

I picked it up, surprised, and opened it to read: **You need to know the story of your Great-Grandfather's demise. It will reveal your own destiny**.

I had to read this through three times (once out-loud) to fully comprehend it. My Great-Grandfather's demise? Was the note referring to Fire Lord Sozin? Why did I need to know what had happened? Come tot think of it...what _had_ happened to him?

I glanced down the hallway again, but there was no one...

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

_I blinked, and glanced down at my cards. I had a Queen Of Hearts, a King Of Diamonds, a Jack Of Clubs, and the special Ace Of Spades. I glanced back up at the German Sheppard, who was wearing a suit and tie, and said: "Umm...I don't play Poker...sorry..."_

_The dog pulled out a rifle, and shot multiple holes in me, before I fell through the floor and saw Atlas._

_"Die!" He cried, and began rolling towards me in his sphere._

_"Augh!" I cried, and turned to run, stumbling over a soup can and falling through a bright orange and yellow void._

_When I landed, I found myself standing amidst a rather melted-looking setting. "What the...?" I wondered, just as something wet dripped onto my shoulder. "Eww..." I complained, looking up and seeing a clock melting all over a tree branch. It splashed all over me suddenly, and I screamed._

_Just then, I saw my reflection in the puddle, and said: "What happened to my eyebrows?" I looked around me. "Get me out of here!" I cried, flailing as I lay on my back in a desert, and a lion came along and started scratching at my forehead. "Don't eat me!"_

I opened my eyes, and saw myself looking upside-down into the bright blue eyes of Yang-Chong.

I glared at him. "Thanks to you, I had nightmares about art!"

He hopped off of my head, and onto the bedside table.

"Don't you walk away from me while I'm lecturing you, Mister!" I got up, and he squawked and half-hopped, half-fluttered onto a nearby dressing table, tearing down a red drapery and knocking over an unlit candle in the process. "Oh, come on, that was an antique!" I complained, as a glass statue of a woman shattered into a million pieces on the floor.

I stopped and stared at it, suddenly, not actually recognizing it. Had it been in my room before?

Just as I was drawing this conclusion, wisps of blue and silver sparkles floated upwards from the shards of glass, swirling around to form the shape of the woman whose image had been carved into the now shattered statue.

I gaped at the spirit, as she said, in a voice far too heavenly to be heard on earth: "_Young Priestess Of Wudang...visit the golden-haired Priestess Of Zyr...she will be able to tell you how you are tied to the Royal Family...and what your destiny is..._"

"Hold on a minute!" I exclaimed, but just then sunlight streamed in through the window, and the spirit disappeared as suddenly as she had appeared. I stared at the pile of broken glass on the floor. "Well, that's just great...why do spirits keep following me around?" I asked Yang-Chong, who just shrugged (as best a baby bird _can_...).

_The golden-haired Priestess Of Zyr...wait, isn't that Zhu? Can she really tell me about my destiny? !_ I wanted to investigate this more thoroughly...

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and a middle-aged attendant poked her head into the room. "Milady, are you...?" She trailed off when she saw the state of my room. She gaped.

"It wasn't my fault!" I protested, in response to her unspoken question. "It was him!" I looked at Yang-Chong, darn him he was acting all innocent now! "Go on, tell her!"

"Uh...phoenixes are supposed to be...quiet...peaceful birds...I'm sorry, Milady..." The attendant stammered, backing out of the room respectfully.

I glared at Yang-Chong. "Watch out you don't start _blinding_ people with your halo, bird-features." I told him, and then ducked as he shot a row of fire balls at me, which hit the landscape painting of Crescent Moon Island. "It's on fire!" I gasped. "Yang-Chong, _do_ something!"

He hid under the fallen drapery.

_O~O~O~O_

**Aang's P.O.V:**

As we landed on the seemingly deserted island that Roku had shown me in my dream, Katara voiced all of our confusion. "But...there's nothing here..."

I watched as Toph jumped from Appa's saddle. The second the Earthbender's bare feet hit the ground, her expression changed. "Yes...there is...an entire village...hundreds of houses..." A slight breeze blew the ash around her. "All completely buried in ash..."

This just got stranger and stranger...

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I stood in a hallway with walls lined with paintings on either side, contemplating one of the portraits.

My sister, who just _happened_ to be walking by, made a suggestion. "It's never too early for a sitting with the court painter, Zuko." Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "Make sure he gets your good side. People like Father, Emma and I don't _have_ that problem, of course."

"What?" I turned around to look at her. "_Emma_ had her portrait painted? Why?"

Azula shrugged. "Who knows? I just saw her and Father entering the painter's studio earlier on this morning. Why don't you ask him?" She suggested, waving at me over her shoulder as she continued off down the hallway.

_Why would Emma be spending time with my Father, after he upset her like that? Unless she hasn't got a choice..._what_ is going on her nowadays?_

"Wait!" I had a sudden flash of inspiration. "What do you remember about our Great-Grandfather's history?" I called to my sister.

She sighed. "Ah, Zuko." She waited for me to catch up to her, and added: "It's so strange how your mind works." She gazed up at the portrait of our Great-Grandfather, which came complete with a comet painted into the background (whether from a reference or from the artist's own imagination, I knew not). "Fire Lord Sozin began the war, of course. He spent his early years secretly preparing for it, but he was as patient as he was clever. He famously waited for the comet, later renamed Sozin's Comet, and used its power to launch his full-scale invasion of the world. In the end, he died a very old and successful man." She sounded like she was reciting from a text-book or something.

We already _knew_ all of this...but...

"But, _how_ did he die?" I wanted to know.

"Didn't you pay attention in school, Zuko?" Azula rolled her eyes, before turning and walking away. "He died peacefully, in his sleep. He was _ancient_..."

In the end, I'd gotten no new answers at all...oh, except the news that Emma's portrait had been painted, ah but _why_...?

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I sat stock-still, hardly daring to even _breathe_, as the only sound was the painter's quick brush strokes on the canvas. Behind him, Fire Lord Ozai stood, his presence making both the painter and I sweat. I was wearing heavy dark red robes, which didn't help, and the scratch on my forehead was suddenly itching...oh God, was it _itching_...I _longed_ to scratch it, but didn't _dare_ raise my hand...

"I will ask you to wait," Ozai told the painter quietly. "To paint the phoenix, until he has fully developed his plumage."

"Very good, Milord." The painter agreed. "I believe this shall be one of the most exquisite pieces I have ever produced."

"Yes, I agree." Ozai nodded, and then looked up at me. "However..." He suddenly walked towards me, and I froze up, my heart nearly stopping. When he reached me, he carefully adjusted the golden hair-piece I wore in my hair, and tucked a stray strand of hair behind my left ear. "Breathe, Emma." He reminded me.

I gulped. "Y-yes, Milord..."

He raised an eyebrow slightly. His look was suddenly intense, commanding even...

"I mean...yes...O-Ozai..." I corrected myself, sighing in defeat.

The Fire Lord nodded his approval, and went back to stand behind the painter who, if he noticed this exchange, either chose to ignore it or didn't care...

But I did.

_O~O~O~O_

**Aang's P.O.V:**

My friends and I sat on the tip of a hardened wave of lava. It was so hard to imagine that an entire village was buried beneath here but, then again, I knew how devastating volcanoes could be...

I faced the gold and orange of the water, compliments of the setting sun, but I had my eyes closed, for I was deep in meditation. I needed to talk to Avatar Roku...or...he needed to talk to me. Either way, we needed to get in contact with each other...somehow...

As I felt my spirit slide out of the mortal world, I experienced the same mix of euphoria and terror that usually accompanied such journeys, but I couldn't be afraid...

I was surrounded by an ocean of clouds, as I sat atop a mountain in the Spirit World.

Avatar Roku appeared before me, on the back of his dragon, Fang.

I stood up, as Roku smiled at me in welcome...

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

The Fire Sages keep the secret history in the Dragon Bone Catacombs.

The message had been hidden on the scroll from before, to be able to be seen only when there was light behind it.

I had read it, and that was why I was now hiding behind a pillar of the dark and ominous temple that I knew well, but had no idea housed a secret place. However, a Fire Sage had just used Firebending to open up a secret passage beneath a large, flower-shaped medallion.

I followed the sage's example, which led me to an underground cavern...to the catacombs. My sister had once believed that places like this were haunted, and had been deathly afraid of ghosts and spirits after I'd told her that there were 'see-through' people. She'd hung onto my hand at night, and been afraid to sleep in her own bed. Now, I doubted she would harbour such fears.

A metal sculpture of Fire Lord Sozin decorated an ornate door at the end of a hall, and I placed my hand on the Fire Nation emblem on his chest and used my Firebending to open up the door.

I entered the room, letting my hood slide down to reveal my face as I raised my lantern and looked around. Under the head of a large dragon statue, I found what I was looking for...

"The final testament of Fire Lord Sozin..."

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"Sleepy Yang-Chong..." I cooed. "Time to go to sleep..."

Yang-Chong chirped tiredly, his eyelids drooping as he nestled into the blanket I had created with a sheet in my arms.

"You're so angelic when you're asleep, yet you're a terror from the moment you wake up..." I smiled, and then looked around me. "Now...where am I?" I was walking through the halls of the Fire Nation palace and, despite having been here for weeks, I was lost. Everything looked so different at night...

Now, the halls looked even _more_ ominous and spooky, and there weren't _nearly_ enough candles lit for my liking. This is _exactly_ how it happens in horror movies, and I wasn't feeling very brave at the moment...

As if on cue, I heard a sound from behind me. I gasped. "W-Walking Japanese Doll?" I guessed, turning around and seeing (to my _complete_ relief) _not_ a horror movie scene, but something equally as confounding...an orb of golden light glittered at the T-Junction, hovering towards the path I could have taken.

It moved more into that section of the hallway as I approached, and I asked it: "D...do you want me to follow you?"

It flitted off down the hallway suddenly, and I took off running after it.

It led me on a wild-goose-chase (wild-phoenix-chase?) outside the palace, and along a pathway lined with trees and Fire Flies. The path wound throughout the trees, until it finally reached an open area with a lake. Fire Flies and stars glittered on the water's reflection, and I stopped and stared in awe, as the golden orb flitted over to a figure, who opened her arms wide to embrace the light. As it lit up her entire body briefly before being drawn into her, I recognized her face...and her hair.

"Zhu?" I asked her, walking forwards.

The Priestess turned to me, smiling, as she raised a hand to beckon me closer. "Welcome, Emma. I have been expecting you..."

_O~O~O~O_

**Nobody's P.O.V:**

_In the lush grounds of a Fire Nation Courtyard, two Firebenders spared, Both were young and handsome, and strong. When Prince Sozin noticed that Roku's feet were too close to a tree branch, he smiled and stepped forward. Roku stepped back and tripped. Sozin grabbed the front of Roku's shirt to stop him from falling. He raised his hand as if to deliver the final blast, but instead let his best friend fall to the ground._

_"Looks like I win again, Roku." Sozin said, still smiling, as he extended his hand to help Roku to his feet._

_"Are you kidding?" Roku raised an eyebrow, and allowed himself to be helped up. "The tree root did all the work." He patted Sozin's shoulder in praise. "Nice one, Sozin."_

_The two friends left the courtyard together._

_A beautiful Fire Nation citizen of the same age as the two boys walked past them on her way to an engagement, and Sozin noticed how his best friend blushed at the woman's presence._

_Sozin nudged Roku. "_Say something to her_._.._" He urged._

_Roku hurried after the young woman, and raised his hand in an attempt to greet her._

_"Uh...ahhh..." Roku was too love-struck to be able to string a sentence together, and gave up, putting his hands on his head and falling back onto the ground. As Sozin knelt beside him and sprinkled grass blades onto Roku's face, neither of them saw the smile on the face of the young woman with the beauty spot beneath her left eye..._

_O~O~O~O_

_A young Ta-Min knelt on a cushion. Next to her was her best friend, a slightly plump girl with her dark brown hair tied up in an ox-horns hairstyle, and a cute pug-nose. At the table across from them sat two older women, who were completely identical._

_"Ta-Min," Luo-Luo intoned, as her twin poured the tea. "And Hotaru...now is the time to tell you that your Priestess training will commence in a few years, and that the time to start preparing is now."_

_Ta-Min and Hotaru exchanged confused glances._

_"Your parents have entrusted us with training you," Lia-Lia added, handing Hotaru a purple cup. "Despite us not being Priestesses ourselves, we will be able to help you to nurture your respective powers and grow."_

_"The life of a Priestess, from her birth is well-defined." Luo-Luo nodded._

_"Like a Princess, she must humbly serve her country," Lia-Lia said._

_"And play the part she's been assigned." The twins said in unison._

_Ta-Min and Hotaru exchanged another glance, and then glanced back at the twins, seeming surprised..._

_O~O~O~O_

_A few years later, the two Priestesses had begun their training, and both trained hard, although they also took many breaks. One such break was for Prince Sozin and Roku's shared birthday._

_Both girls wore pink robes, and Hotaru wore her favourite ruby sunburst earrings._

_"Hey, Ta-Min," The young Priestess Of Ying Hoy Chong whispered. "Look, it's Roku..."_

_The Priestess Of Huo blushed, and looked down. _I always thought I would marry a member of the royal family, but...Roku sure is a cutie..._ She smiled._

_Upon seeing this, Roku blushed as well, losing his concentration then and falling. Sozin grabbed the back of Roku's robes to stop that from happening, as _usual_..._

_Just then, the Fire Sages walked towards them, and Sozin became concerned that something had happened to his Father._

_However, the Sages were not here for Sozin. They were here to announce the identity of the new Avatar._

_They announced that it would be an honour to serve him...Avatar Roku..._

_ O~O~O~O_

_When the day came for Roku to leave to begin his Avatar training, Sozin came to see him. Roku was depressed because he'd been told he wouldn't need worldly possessions, and that because it had all happened to fast (finding out he was the Avatar, being told he'd have to leave home) everything was going to change._

_"Here." Sozin said suddenly, removing his royal head dress and holding it out to Roku. "I hope you're at least allowed to have this."_

_"But this is a royal artefact." Sozin protested. "It's supposed to be worn by the crown prince."_

_"I want you to have it." Sozin replied, like that made it all okay..._

_O~O~O~O_

_In another part of the palace, Ta-Min was telling Hotaru how she had been summoned to train with Priestesses abroad, and that she would be leaving the next day._

_"Oh." Hotaru wasn't upset about Ta-Min being chosen and not her. She was just going to miss her friend, and wanted to give her something special to remember her by. Just then, a sudden thought struck her. "Here!" She reached out and slid out the earrings from her ears. "I want you to have these, Ta-Min."_

_"But you love these earrings!" Ta-Min protested._

_Hotaru shook her head. "I love you more. You're the best friend I've ever had." She smiled, even though she felt a stabbing pain inside of her chest._

_Ta-Min smiled, and accepted the earrings. "Thank you, Hotaru..." She looked down at the jewels in her palm, and held one up to the light. "They're lovely. But...I don't have pierced ears..."_

_"Not yet, you don't..."_

_O~O~O~O_

_Avatar Roku and Priestess Ta-Min travelled all around the world._

_Roku trained with the monks of the Southern Air Temple, and befriended monk Gyatso for the first out of so far two times in the Avatar's existence._

_Ta-Min travelled to the Eastern Air Temple, where she was persuaded by a group of female Airbenders to shave her head, much to her Mother's dismay when she wrote home about it._

_Roku then headed North, where he eventually mastered his opposing element of water after causing twenty-five percent of the pole's ice caps to melt._

_Ta-Min was met with many warm welcomes in the tiny South Pole Water Tribe Village, with the exception of a particularly cold individual named Nini whom no one else could see._

_Roku's Earthbending Master was a stubborn man named Sud, who became a lifelong friend after sharing many training sessions and cups of tea with his pupil._

_Ta-Min appreciated the splendour of Omashu, although she was reprimanded for acting like a child and sledding down the delivery chutes at high-speed._

_Twelve long years passed like this, where Roku became a fully realised Avatar, Sozin became Fire Lord, and Ta-Min and Hotaru came into their full Priestess powers._

_Another change had occurred, in that Roku and Ta-Min were reunited, and were to be wedded. Sozin was the best man, and Hotaru was the maid of honour, as she was almost like a sister to Ta-Min._

_Unfortunately, that day was to change everything between the four friends, as emotions were clouded by the earliest onsets of avarice, and tests were faced..._

_O~O~O~O_

_One night, many years after Sozin and Roku's friendship fell apart and the Fire Nation began setting its sights on the Earth Kingdom, Hotaru was found dead, the result of a stressful and painful childbirth. The golden-eyed child's Father was unknown, though Ta-Min and Roku immediately took the baby boy in and raised him as their own, along with their own three children. They named him Zuan-Shi, after the diamond..._

_Ta-Min, mourning the loss of her almost-sister, began to pray, and her prayers were answered by her friend._

_"Ta-Min," Hotaru said, glowing in the dimness of the candle-lit room like fireflies. "Please, take care of my son for me and, should he conceive any daughters in the future, train them as Priestesses. Please...tell no one this, but...after you left, I was feeling lonely, and so was Sozin...without Roku...things led to things, and before I knew it I was pregnant...please, he does not know this...he cannot know that Zuan-Shi is his son...please...my sister...thank you..."_

_O~O~O~O_

_Years passed, and Zuan-Shi grew strong...as did his Father's plans to increase the Fire Nation's prosperity. After betraying Roku, and leaving him to die in the eruption of a volcano, Sozin was free to begin conquering the world, though he was old. By using the power of a comet, he was able to destroy the Air Nomads, a deadly first strike that taught the world to fear the Fire Nation._

_Meanwhile, Zuan-Shi married young, a Fire Nation noblewoman who gave birth to a daughter. However, she was still-born, and Grandmother Ta-Min prayed to the Sun Spirits and Hotaru to save the baby girl. The comet passed overhead then, and the baby's hair became golden, like the sun's rays, and she began to cry._

_Zhu grew up in the palace, and became best friends with another young noble named Ursa. Nobody knew that Zhu was the Fire Lord's granddaughter. Sozin never found out, and neither did his son, although Zhu became an important member of the Fire Nation court, rising to her full powers of a Priestess early, due to the comet's influence. Zhu became the Spirit Mother of both Ursa's children, and would be Azula's Priestess Mentor should anything happen to Ursa, and that Azula must become a powerful Priestess Of Shaolin..._

_O~O~O~O_

**Aang's P.O.V:**

"You mean, after all Roku and Sozin went through together...even after Roku showed him mercy, Sozin betrayed him like that?" Katara asked in disbelief, after I finished telling my friends about the past.

"It's like these people are born bad." Toph mused, but I disagreed with her, and said that everyone deserves a chance, and that the story had taught me about friendship (and love, but I didn't say it, because Katara was there).

"Do you really think friendships can last more than one lifetime?" Toph wanted to know.

I took her hand. "I don't see why not." I smiled.

Katara took Toph's other hand, also smiling.

"Well," Sokka said. "Scientifically speaking, there's no way to prove that..."

"Oh Sokka, just hold hands." Katara scolded her brother, to which he complied.

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

"You sent this, didn't you? !" I shouted, throwing the scroll down onto the prison cell floor. My uncle didn't answer. "I found the secret history which, by the way, should be renamed "the history most people already know"!" I was furious, and my Uncle's calmness only added to that anger, that is until he spoke to me for the first time in weeks.

He told me the six scariest words I have ever heard. "Your Mother's Grandfather was Avatar Roku."

He told me that I alone had the power to cleanse the sins of our family and the Fire Nation, and restore balance to the world. He gave me the same royal head-piece I had read about, and I felt my heart thud in my chest.

What should I do?

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"Zuko?" I said from the doorway, and he jumped, dropping the head-piece onto the floor. I hurried to pick it up, and my earrings swung out from behind my hair.

"Emma, where did you get those from?" Zuko asked me, as I straightened up. "They're Zhu's, aren't they?"

I nodded. "She gave them to me...she told me the story of Fire Lord Sozin...she told me that..." I gulped. "Her Grandmother, Hotaru, was Ta-Min's best friend, and that she accidentally conceived a child with Sozin..."

Zuko's face remained expressionless, but his eyes glittered slightly.

"Zuko, hearing this story gave me courage." I told him, looking down at the head-piece in my hands. "It gave me clarity and...well, I've made a decision." I took a deep breath, and then looked him straight in the eye. "I'm leaving the Fire Nation."

"What?" I gasped. "Why?"

"Because my place is helping Aang and the others, and also telling Katara about her own powers as a priestess as well." I replied, in a shaky voice. "Also...I can't...stay here...after the eclipse..." My left hand shook, and the golden ring I wore around my fourth finger seemed twice as heavy. "Zuko...I need to tell you something...Uncle and Zhu already know this and now...now I need to tell you, too..."

_O~O~O~O_

**Ozai's P.O.V:**

I looked at the portrait that had been painted of the young girl, the candlelight dancing off the perfect representation of her. Even though the portrait was unfinished, it was clear it was going to be a magnificent sight.

I traced the shape of her face, letting my hand rest on the side of it.

"You look exactly like her..." I whispered. "You _act_ exactly like her...Emma...I've decided...I'll love you in Ursa's place...you will rise to my side...as the Phoenix Queen..."


	51. Spirit Of Fire

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

Spirit Of Fire

"_Because my place is helping Aang and the others, and also telling Katara about her own powers as a priestess as well." I replied, in a shaky voice. "Also...I can't...stay here...after the eclipse..." My left hand shook, and the golden ring I wore around my fourth finger seemed twice as heavy. "Zuko...I need to tell you something...Uncle and Zhu already know this and now...now I need to tell you, too..."_

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I stood perfectly frozen, unable to move or speak after the shock of the situation Emma had just described for me. She was also still, watching me quietly, waiting for my reaction. To my left, behind the bars, my Uncle did not speak, either. Like Emma, he was waiting for my reaction, and probably praying that I would not lose my temper.

Taking a deep, steadying breath, I said: "Is that why you were so upset the other day?"

Emma nodded.

"And, is that why you broke up with me?" I asked her.

She looked a little bit surprised at the term 'broke up', but nodded anyway.

"And...did my Father forbid you to tell anyone?" I wanted to know.

"Not everyone," Emma whispered, still looking at the floor. "Just...you and your sister...he said..." She gulped. "He said he wanted it to be a...surprise..." Her face was flaming by this stage, and her eyes were brimming with tears. My heart lurched.

"Oh, I'm surprised, all right." I muttered darkly, and stole a glance at my Uncle, who was looking at both me and Emma with a certain degree of sympathy. Turning back to Emma, I put my hands on her shoulders and said: "When is this...supposed to take place?"

I just couldn't bring myself to say the word 'wedding'. The idea of my _Father_ marrying _Emma_ was completely insane to me – I honestly had no idea how to react to this, other than to get all the facts.

"The day after the eclipse." She replied, leaning forwards suddenly and resting her head against my chest. "What am I going to do, Zuko? I'm so scared..." She whispered, as I put my arms around her shoulders. "When Ozai started teaching me Firebending, I even became frightened of the element...he uses it in a way that _forces_ fear into others, including me...now, I think I associate him too heavily with the element of fire...they're so much alike, and I'm afraid of becoming anything like him...what am I going to do?" She repeated, sniffling through her tears.

I didn't have an answer for that right at that moment, so I just held her against my chest as her shoulders shook with her silent sobbing.

My Uncle chose that moment to speak up, just then. "Leaving the Fire Nation is the best thing that you can do, Emma," He told her, sounding grave. "However, I would advise you to wait until a more suitable time, when no one will realise you are gone until too late."

"Like the day of the eclipse?" I guessed, since Emma didn't seem able to answer at that time.

Uncle Iroh nodded. "I believe that would be the best time for you to go." He replied, giving me a meaningful look.

I didn't miss that look – my Uncle was subtly suggesting that I also leave, and go with Emma...the problem was, she was clearly going to go straight back to the Avatar and their friends, who also happened to be my enemies...how could my Uncle think that I would be able to go with Emma?

As if reading my thoughts, Emma looked up at me. Her face was streaked with tears, shining tracks that ran from her slightly green eyes (I had almost forgotten that Emma's eyes turned green-gold when she cried). She said: "I won't ask you to come with me...that decision is yours and yours alone, Zuko...just...please don't hate me for wanting to leave...I love the Fire Nation, I really do. It is a beautiful and proud nation, with a lot of good people in it and a rich history despite what happened..." She bit her lip, and then went on with: "I think...I think that the rest of the world may have forgotten what it used to be like, since they were taught to fear and even hate the Fire Nation, and...one day...they will remember what it was like before all this happened..." She looked up at me hopefully. "They'll learn to forgive the Fire Nation, and maybe even love it almost as much as I do..."

My heart was beating very fast just then, and I felt an overwhelming sense of pride for my nation that I hadn't felt in a long time. Here was somebody who was facing an uncertain and possibly undesired future, all because of the Fire Nation and this war and, yet, she was _still_ willing to forgive them for all that they'd done. True, she hadn't suffered for it as much as others, having come from a different world and all, but she had been on the front-lines of her fair share of battles since she'd gotten here – working with the Avatar to stop my sister and me from taking control of Ba Sing Se; attempting to protect my Uncle from being killed by my sister (how could I have forgotten about that?); battling against me during the siege of the Northern Water Tribe...so many times, my family and I had placed her in these difficult situations, and all for what?

To win this hundred year long war?

It wasn't worth it...

I didn't want to make her have to choose again...I suddenly wanted to be able to back her in whatever decision she made, and not have to feel any guilt about it...

"Emma..." I said to her, placing my hands on either side of her face and using my thumbs to wipe away her tears. "Do you remember what Zhao said to you after the Agni Kai?" She flinched, but nodded. "What he wanted from you..." I struggled to contain my suppressed emotions. "What would have happened if he'd taken it...Emma...I promise you, I will _never_ let _anybody_ do that to you...I won't let them steal your _ching_ from you..." I stopped speaking abruptly.

"_Ching_?" She repeated, blushing.

I was blushing, also. "Y-yeah...that energy that...well, you know..." Augh, this was made even ten times worse because my Uncle was listening. Thank Spirits it wasn't Azula listening in...

"Yeah..." Emma looked away embarrassed, understanding. "You'll really protect me?" She asked quietly.

"Yes." I replied firmly.

"Zuko..." She looked back at me, a smile lighting up her face. Tears glittered on her eyelashes, as she looked up at me.

I leaned towards her, and she closed her eyes, though she seemed a little bit nervous.

Just then, we heard a sound outside the door, and sprang back from each other, just as Warden Poon walked noisily into the cell.

He looked at the two of us, and I was suddenly thankful that I'd hidden my Great-Grandfather's head-piece away in my robes. Emma and I exchanged a glance, and then quickly exited the cell, not saying a word to each other the entire way back to the palace.

My mind was ticking, however, and I was remembering back to an evening many months ago, when I'd faced off against Zhao.

_"You know, don't you?" Zhao's smirk seemed to mock me, to shout that I was not worthy to have defeated him like this. "You know what it is…the life essence…what we all want…so strong…"_

_"You're wrong," I muttered. "It can't be…" He's lying…he always lies…he couldn't possibly be telling the truth…he couldn't know…_

_"Am I?" Zhao's smirk grew. "Give the girl to me and you'll see…when I share her ching…"_

I had once endeavoured to protect Emma from that monster...to protect her pure nature and beautiful innocence from such a terrible fate...my Mother had always said that women deserve respect and that, as a man, I had the power to protect them. I had never wanted anyone to lay their hands on the Priestess I had heard stories about since I was a child...to know that she and Emma were one and the same only strengthened my resolve, and made me more determined than ever to protect her...

I just never thought I'd have to protect her from my own Father...

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

"I am so frustrated with everyone lately, I could just _scream_!" I nearly _was_ screaming, but Appa didn't seem to mind, as I ranted and raved and did some cleaning to try and calm myself down. " We are _supposed_ to be undercover here in the Fire Nation, _not_ making a spectacle of ourselves by becoming con-artists!" I picked up a dirty blanket covered in sand, and shook it out sharply, satisfied by the loud _flick_ noise that it made. I folded the blanket up as tightly as it would go, and continued my ranting. "I mean, so what if Aang And Toph are two years younger than me? Big deal!" I said crossly. "What, so that means I'm the _only_ one who has to be responsible? ! And what about Sokka, what's _his_ excuse? He's _supposed_ to be the oldest here, but sometimes it feels like I'm taking care of a bunch of eight year olds! Augh!" I threw my hands up into the air. "They drive me _crazy_ sometimes!" I picked up another bag, which contents fell out, and my anger died away instantly. "Oh..." I picked up the red ribbon, letting it trail through my fingers.

This was the things we had left from when Emma was travelling with us – most of her clothes, her money, scarf and books. Although Aang still wore the bison whistle on the red ribbon around his neck, and Emma's other red ribbon was around her neck as a choker, _this_ red ribbon had been used to hold the money bag together. We had a lot of Fire Nation money with us, but the money in this bag was comprised mainly of Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom coins.

As I collected them back up into the black and grey scarf, I became aware of the two books she'd always been reading (or trying to, anyway). A page was creased open in one of the books and, on an impulse, I began to read it.

The priestess came to the world in times of trouble, wrapped up in pink light. I gasped. A spirit medium, able to communicate with and see the dead, she was a shrine-maiden from another world…

I couldn't _believe_ what I was reading.

Skilled at martial arts, and gifted with supernatural powers, she was a virgin who carried with her a great and immense power that she had to learn to wield to help others…

My mind began racing, as I thought this all through.

Good at martial arts?

Pink light?

Spirit medium?

Supernatural powers?

From another world?

I remembered what Aang had shouted out in the desert...something about the Sandbenders selling a Priestess to a harem...he'd been _furious_...and now, I understood why...Aang must've read this...he must've _known_...Emma was a Priestess...

My Mother used to talk about Priestesses at times...and, I'd even suspected that she might be one, too...I'd always thought that, next to being a Waterbender, it would have been cool to be a Priestess...

I was deep in thought as I returned to cleaning and, after a few furtive glances to make sure that no one was around (no, of course they were off scamming again), I rifled through Toph's supplies, until I found something of interest.

Instantly, my anger returned, and I had to check myself to keep from screaming.

Clenching my fists, I stomped away from Appa, clutching the piece of paper in anger. "Augh!" I said again, more frustrated than ever. "You've _really_ done it this time, Toph Bei Fong!"

"Katara!" The blind Earthbender's sharp voice said from behind me, and I whirled around to face her. She wore a look of intense disdain. "My full name is _never_ to be spoken out-loud – you _know_ that!"

_O~O~O~O_

The sunset was nice, and I tried to appreciate its beauty as I soaked my body in the water. The water was quite warm, due to the Fire Nation's climate (hot and humid), and I found myself relaxing. I could _almost_ forget about the fact that Toph and I were no longer speaking. This was because we'd had an argument, mainly about me trying to act like a Mother to her but, honestly, the girl _needed_ some guidance every now and then...

Just then, two sets of legs appeared on the overhang high above my head. One pair belonged to my brother, and the other to _Toph Bei Fong_...they were sitting on the cliff above where I was bathing, and they didn't know that I was there, or that I could hear them clearly.

"So, let me guess," I heard Toph say carelessly. "You brought me out here to tell me your sister's not as annoying as I make her out to be."

Sokka replied: "Nah, she's pretty much a pain."

I scowled. He was a fine one to talk. Who'd been the one to hold his hand when he'd gotten two fish-hooks caught in his thumb? Who'd checked his mouth for warts after that incident with the frozen frogs? Who'd put up with him after he'd gotten high on Cactus Juice? Me, that's who...

"She's always got to be right about everything," My brother went on. "And she gets all bossy, and involved, and in your business."

I resisted the urge to Waterbend his boots off just then.

"Yeah, I don't know how you can deal with it." Toph said.

"Actually, in a way, I rely on it." Sokka replied, much to my surprise.

"I don't understand." Toph admitted.

"When our Mum died," Sokka began, and my heart thudded. "That was the hardest time in my life. Our family was a mess, but Katara...she had so much strength. She stepped in and took on so much responsibility. She helped fill the void that was left by our Mum."

Tears burned in the backs of my eyes. The day the Fire Nation had killed my Mother had been the most painful and emotional day of my life. I could still remember the fear I'd felt upon seeing her confronted by the soldier, and how I'd run to find my Father. And, I could still recall the choked up, painful feeling in my chest that had been like a well spilling over, when I'd seen my beautiful Mother lying beaten and lifeless there, her blood staining the snow incarnadine. I'd only been eight years old, and seeing that had changed me – and my life – forever. My Father had been frozen for a few seconds, before he'd knelt down by my side and gathered me in his arms. I'd sobbed uncontrollably into his parker, and he'd held me tightly, as if he could somehow protect me from the horrors. My brother, thankfully, had been spared the sight of our Mother's murder-scene, although he and the whole village had mourned her death. Then, my Father had left. I'd hated him for years after that but, recently, we'd reconciled, and now I missed him more than ever. Why did everyone I love have to leave me?

Toph was speaking again. "I guess I never thought about that." She sounded contrite.

"I'm gonna tell you something crazy." My brother said quietly. "I never told anyone this before, but honestly, I'm not sure I can remember what my Mother looked like." I didn't know how to react to that. "It really seems like, my whole life; Katara's been the one looking out for me. She's always been the one that's there, and now, when I try to remember my Mum, Katara's is the only face I can picture."

Tears now swam in the fronts of my eyes, blurring up the sunset until the orange and golden colours all melted together and became shimmery.

"The truth is," Toph responded. "Sometimes Katara _does_ act Motherly, but that's not always a bad thing. She's compassionate and kind, and she actually _cares_ about me. You know, the _real_ me. That's more than my own Mum."

I closed my eyes, and the tears in them dripped down. I heard them splash almost inaudibly into the water, but I didn't try and stop them. I'd had no idea Sokka and Toph felt this way about me, that they saw me as the kind of Mother they'd never had.

_Mum..._ I thought, my lips trembling. _What should I do?_ I opened my eyes and Waterbended a sheet of water up in front of me, solidifying it into ice so that I could see myself. I looked like a wreck, and I closed my eyes briefly for a second, sighing. _What is _wrong_ with me_? I wondered, sadly.

I opened my eyes, and glanced at my reflection in the ice. For a moment, I saw my Mother's face smiling up at me, and thought that I could hear her voice.

_Don't cry, Katara,_ She said, and I gasped because the face reflected back at me _was_ actually speaking to me, or maybe I was just imagining it. Either way, it was unexpected. _I am so proud of you. There is nothing wrong with you, although you do not always need to act like a Mother to them. Try to find a way to connect with Toph on _her_ level...to show her that _you_ can have fun as well..._

The image of my Mother shimmered, and then vanished, to be replaced with my own startled reflection.

I was speechless. This wasn't like the illusion in the swamp. This was just like the time the Painted Lady had appeared before me, to thank me for saving the river-village from pollution and destruction. Only this time...I'd seen my Mother...no, not my Mother, but...her _spirit_...

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I walked down the halls of the Fire Nation palace. "Yang-Chong?" I called, holding a hand up to the side of my mouth, the way people do in the cartoons. "Yang-Chong, where are you?" It was a few days after Zuko and I had learned the history of Roku, Sozin, Ta-Min and Hotaru. I was trying to find Yang-Chong, who had disappeared after I'd told him that the court-painter wanted to do the preliminaries of his portrait today. What was the big deal, anyway? "Come on, Yang-Chong, it's not that bad! _I_ had it done, and it doesn't take long, I promise!"

I turned the corner, and saw nothing in the hallway but a little doll wearing a red robe. The doll suddenly stood up all by itself.

I let out a frightened yelp, thinking about cursed dolls but, just then, Yang-Chong emerged from behind the doll, looking smug. He'd pushed it up from behind, to make it look like it was alive!

"Why you little-!" I growled, and ran towards him.

He let out a startled squawk, and ran off, with me hot on his heels. He was pretty fast, for a bird, and suddenly slipped through a hole in the wall, next to a big wooden door which I pushed open.

I found myself standing in the entrance to a library.

"Wow..." I said, my annoyance vanishing instantly, as I stepped into the large, but comfortable-looking, bright and sunny room. Floor-to-ceiling windows decorated one wall, on the other hung draperies and portraits of the Fire Nation variety. The floors were carpeted in dark red and, after taking off my shoes, I walked happily towards the book shelves – the carpet felt so plush underneath my feet!

I looked for Yang-Chong, and was somehow reminded of all the lunchtimes I'd spent in the library at high school. I completely forgot about the court-painter – and Ozai – as I walked up and down the aisles, and found Yang-Chong perched on the back of a chair in front of a table, which was occupied by...

"Zhu?" I recognized that head of golden hair instantly, and she turned around and smiled at me.

"Hello, Emma," She greeted me warmly, motioning for me to come closer. "What brings you here?"

"I didn't know there was a library here," I admitted, going to stand beside her. "I found it by accident. What are you reading?" I asked her, looking down at the book on the desk.

"Oh, this?" Her golden eyes glanced down at the book as well, and then back up to me. "Actually, it's a book I believe you will find most interesting. Why don't you read it?"

"Umm...actually...my reading isn't too crash-hot," I blushed. "Not this kind of writing, anyway..."

"Well, now's the perfect time to practice." Zhu replied, getting up and pushing my shoulder slightly to get me to sit down. "Trust me, you will find this _very_ interesting..."

I sighed. "Okay..." I settled down, and began to read.

_O~O~O~O_

**No One's P.O.V:**

_A long time ago, before the physical world and the Spirit World came into existence, there were two entities. _

_One said: I am a man. My element is fire, which represents the ambition within my mind. I am passionate and vocal about things; I always make the first move and remain strong and bright in all I do. I have a darkness within me, though, one which I do not understand. It calms me through certain points in my life, yet it also puts a shield up around me that others dislike. I am Yang._

_The other responded: I am a woman. My element is water, which symbolizes the depth of my heart. I am quiet and careful; I wait for things to happen first and stay calm and tranquil throughout turmoil. I have a light inside of me, yet I do not seek to reach for this unfamiliar source. It allows me to stand up and fight, although it also subjects me to apprehension of the unknown. I am Yin._

_Together, the two formed a single entity and, if they were ever separated, they became unbalanced and disorientated. They were two single halves that created one being, each one the opposite of the other, yet with characteristics of their partner._

_Because of this, balance was created and, from that harmony, existence was created. The Spirit World was born first, a mystical place governed by belief and faith. From it, the creation of the physical realm leaked, through fractures and holes in the Spirit World. There were paths and channels linking all the worlds together, governed overall by the Spirit World and their Spirits._

_These paths were called Portals, and were guarded by the Six Deities, each representing a different belief that was passed on to the physical worlds._

_The Deity Of Water gave everyone the sense of Protectiveness, to be able to hold things dear and stand up for them. The Deity Of Earth gave the gift of Freedom, to be able to think freely and do things for themselves. From the Deity Of Metal came Inner-Strength, which was the ability to draw upon their own powers and ideas; and from the Deity Of The Sky came Love, one of the most powerful virtues known . The Deity Of Fire gave everyone Patience, and the ability to understand tolerance and weakness. And, from the Deity Of Air, came the most precious gift of all – Life._

_These Six Deities, represented in order of Metal; Earth; Fire; Sky; Water and Air, guarded these portals, in the form of temples that resided half in the Spirit World, and half in the physical realm. Each one is said to hold a great treasure, fiercely protected by a guardian._

_Only those who have the intense desire to understand the Six Values are able to tread upon the sacred grounds. And, only those who have truly come to understand them, will be able to safely traverse through the realms of the Underworld, the darkest place in the Spirit World that balances out the light..._

_But, remember, that all most exist within each other, for them to be truly understood. One cannot fully have Inner-Strength without Patience, nor can they Love without the fierce desire to Protect what they hold dear._

_Understand these, and you will come to understand the very existence of everything itself..._

_O~O~O~O_

_The two entities that existed before time, dispersed and travelled throughout the spiritual and physical realms, forming man and woman respectively and creating within each of them the desire to become whole again. While this desire was not always the same, it was generally a desire to find one's other half, to find the other half of one's soul._

_This idea became known as Soul Mates, and it began with Yang and Yin's desire to be reunited after their separation. At times, Yin could be drawn towards her own likeness, as Yang sometimes found himself drawn towards his own likeness, but the powerful unification of each soul was still the same. Over time, there came to be a few select chosen ones who became known as the True Soul Mates. Their destinies, no matter how far apart, were always meant to come together in the end, and form a powerful and everlasting spiritual connection. Each would be the perfect one for the other, forming strengths and weaknesses, and creating a harmonious balance._

_For them, they would know the Six Virtues. Their Protectiveness would be fierce, as would their combined Inner-Strength. They would come to know Patience of each other, as well as a sense of Freedom when the other one was near. Their Love would be unquestionable, even if they themselves could not always see it and, above all, they would create a single Life, two destinies that threaded and knotted so tightly around each other, that it would eventually meld and form one that would be impossible to separate._

_They would forever be under the guidance of Yuexia Loaren, The Old Man Under The Moon and, those who knew the Moon would know of this Love..._

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I had been looking for Emma all day and, now that it was nightfall, I was starting to get worried. Where was she? Had she decided to leave already? Or...was she with my Father?

I didn't know which one of these scenarios would be worse...

I asked a few attendants if they knew of Emma's whereabouts, but they hadn't seen her since this morning. I decided to bite the arrow-head and just ask my sister if she knew. What was the worst that could happen?

As I was walking through the halls towards the courtyard, where an attendant had told me I might find Azula, the candles on either side of the hallway suddenly blew out, one-by-one. I frowned, and attempted to relight them, but they wouldn't.

"Okay, Azula, very funny!" I called out to her, but there was no answer. "I know it's you, Azula!" I was a little bit annoyed about this, as I looked around. "Azula?"

Just then, the candles relit slowly, only with greyish-coloured flames. I stopped. Since when had Azula learned how to bend _grey_ fire...unless it wasn't her...?

I rolled my eyes, and just marched off down the hallway, ignoring whatever it was that was going on. It wasn't really an issue, anyway. Probably just a figment of my imagination.

The candlelight all turned grey as I walked past the candles, and I began to feel a little bit more annoyed than I had been before. "Azula?" I called out, frustrated now. There was still no answer. Maybe it wasn't her? But then, who could it be? "Uncle?" I wouldn't have been surprised if he'd been able to get out of the prison, somehow. After all, he'd gotten that note to me, hadn't he? There was no reply. "Ty-Lee...?" Not that she could bend fire or anything but, well, you never know...

When there was no reply, I threw my hands up in frustration, which caused the flames to return to orange and, satisfied, I continued on my way.

_O~O~O~O_

I found my sister in the courtyard where they'd said she would be, and she was with Zhu.

"Move through the steps again, Princess," Zhu said calmly, sitting on a stone bench and watching my sister train. "You're still thinking like a Firebender..."

"Because I _am_ one, Zhu!" Azula replied crossly, but she did as she was told, taking no notice of me as I approached her mentor.

"Have you seen Emma?" I asked the golden-haired lady, who was wearing her hair in an ox-horns hairstyle like Mai's.

Zhu nodded. "Last I saw of her, she was in the library. She may still be there."

"It's highly likely." I agreed, and turned to leave.

"Oh, Zuko?" My sister said suddenly.

I sighed. "What is it, Azula?"

"Don't you remember what night it is?" Azula asked me, and I turned around to look at her suspiciously.

"What night is it?" I wanted to know, turning around to face her.

She rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you forgot, although it _has_ been three years. It's the last full moon of the seventh month. Which _means_..." She said, as if speaking to a three year old, and made a spooky sound. "_Oooh-oooh_..."

I groaned inwardly. _Now_ I knew what she meant. "_Must_ we, Azula?"

She put her hands on her hips. "_Yes_, brother, we _must_." She smiled suddenly. "Unless you're _scared_...you're not afraid of a few spirit stories, _are_ you, Zuzu?"

"No!" I snapped, rolling my eyes. "I just have better things to do with my time." I hadn't thought that Azula would still carry on this tradition of telling spirit stories on this particular day of the month, but there you go...

"Oh?" Azula replied, knowingly. "Well, I'm sure Emma would _love_ to come as well – unless she's scared, too. If you two aren't feeling like wilted Fire Lilies, then meet me at the old shrine, out the back of our old chateau. Ty-Lee and Mai are coming too, by the way." She added casually. "They'll bring the Fire Flakes if we bring the fire."

"Well..." I couldn't figure out how to get out of this without making me and Emma out to be wimps. "Well...good." I said finally, and began walking away.

"Oh, and Zuzu?" Azula's voice called after me. "_Try_ not to get as scared as you did that one year...that must've been _so_ embarrassing..."

_O~O~O~O_

I found Emma _exactly_ where Zhu had said she would be, asleep at a desk with her head in her arms. I smiled for a moment, thinking how peaceful she looked, and then woke her up gently and told her what was going on.

"Spirit Stories?" She repeated. "Oh, you mean like scary ghost stories?" I nodded. "Hmm...sounds interesting...okay, let's go..." She stood up, gathered Yang-Chong in her arms, and together we left the library and began walking towards the front of the palace.

"What were you reading, anyway?" I asked her.

She blushed. "Oh...just this book about how existence came to be, and soul mates and stuff...it was actually...aurgh!" She suddenly yelled, and jumped behind me, grabbing my arm.

"What's the matter? !" I cried, looking around wildly for the source of her fear.

"Th-that!" She stammered, pointing at something small at the T-Junction of the hallway.

"That?" I stepped closer, pulling her along with me, and looked at what it was. "That's just a doll...probably one of Azula's old ones..." I recognized the red robes on it.

"Yes, but why's it standing up?" Emma wanted to know. "The same one from this morning...it must be a Walking Japanese Doll!"

"What's a Walking Japanese Doll?" I asked her, leading her around the doll and down the hallway.

She was still clinging onto my arm. "It's a Japanese doll that walks around all by itself..." She informed me. "Some say it's haunted by the spirit of a little girl who was brutally murdered by burglars, others say it was cursed by an evil sorcerer to bring misfortune and suffering to those who owned it." She shivered.

"The only misfortune and suffering I got from that doll was my sister," I responded, rolling my eyes. "Emma, are you _sure_ you want to do this?"

"Huh?" She blinked, and looked up at me, suddenly realising how irrational she was acting. She giggled, although it was a little bit strained. "Yeah, of course. I'm not afraid of spirits anyway! Let's go!" She said, although she kept a hold of my hand all the way there and, now, I didn't mind.

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

"What I'm about to show you," Hama, the nice old woman who just happened to be another Southern Waterbender, said to me, the moonlight reflecting off her pale, wrinkled skin. "I discovered in that wretched Fire Nation prison. The guards were always careful to keep any water away from us. The piped in dry air, and had us suspended away from the ground."

I couldn't imagine how awful that must've been for her. I already felt a real connection with the woman who had let us stay at her inn. She reminded me of Gran-Gran and, well, she was a Waterbender, like me. Possibly the only one left from the South Pole other than myself, of course...

I liked her, right up until she told me about her secret power...

Hama told me how, each month, she felt the full moon enriching her with power and energy, and how she had discovered the way to escape was that there was water wherever there is life.

She had learned to use the water in the _bodies_ of rats to manipulate them – _Bloodbending_. She had used it to force the guards to free her from the prison, and she had walked free.

However, the way she was talking about Bloodbending was kind of creepy...it made me think that she might actually _enjoy_ taking control of them, especially when she told me that I didn't have a choice, as the power existed within me already.

I realised that Hama had been making people from the village disappear, by using Bloodbending. But, when I told her that I wasn't going to use Bloodnbending and that I wouldn't let her terrorize this town anymore, she gave me a direct demonstration of Bloodbending.

My body was unable to move by itself...she was controlling me, like a puppeteer. I now had a new understanding of the puppets we'd found in her house...and, a newfound fear of my very own element.

Tears formed in my eyes. "Stop...please..." I whispered. "Please..."

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

Zuko and I arrived at the slightly spooky-looking shrine just in time to hear the end of Ty-Lee's story.

"His thirst was quenched by the mysterious cup of fruit-juice that had appeared on his table," She said dramatically. "_However_...a form of movement at the bottom of the cup caught his eye...he peered down into the bottom of the cup and saw, to his complete horror, _a huge white Cave Hopper_!" She exclaimed; her eyes wide and her arms held out on either side of her.

Azula just rolled her eyes as she poked a stick into the campfire, whilst Mai voiced her opinions. "That's disgusting." She said, glancing down at her cup of tea, and then tipping it out over her shoulder (noooo!).

"Our next story takes place in a grated cheese factory." Ty-Lee nodded.

"Oh, Spirits, no..." Mai groaned.

Just then, Azula looked up, and caught sight of Zuko and me. "Ah, so you two decided to show up after all?"

Both Zuko and I nodded, as Mai glanced our way, saw me holding onto Zuko's hands, and frowned slightly.

Ty-Lee, however, jumped up and hurried over, hugging me. "Emma, I haven't seen you in, like, _ages_!" She exclaimed. "How have you been?" She asked me.

"Eh, same old, same old." I replied, as Ty-Lee returned to her seat, and Zuko and I sat next to her.

Ty-Lee poured a cup of tea each for Zuko and me, and then said: "It's Azula's turn to tell a story now."

Azula smiled somewhat evilly, as she set down her tea cup, and said: "Well, I do know this _one_ story...Mother told me about it..."

We all leaned in to listen, as the firelight danced across Azula's face.

"A laundress from the Fire Nation, newly moved to one of the Earth Kingdom colonies, found herself awakened at midnight each night by the sound of many Ostrich-Horses feet. But, she lived in an area where no Ostrich-Horse would dare to roam, after the great battle that had taken place there. She had no explanation for the noise. Her husband would not allow her to look out the window when she heard the sounds, telling her to leave well enough alone."

I glanced around at the others. Ty-Lee looked frightened, Mai looked bored, and Zuko was watching his sister with no expression on his face.

"Finally," Azula went on. "She asked the woman who washed at the tub next to hers. The woman said: 'What you are hearing is the Army Of The Dead'." (Ty-Lee gasped). "They are Earth Kingdom soldiers who died in hospital without knowing that the war was over. Each night, they rise from their graves and go to reinforce Lee in Omashu to strengthen the weakened South-East forces'."

I gulped. From the way Azula was telling this story, and from the way she was wording it, it sounded almost...true...

"The next night, the laundress slipped out of bed to watch the Army Of The Dead pass. She stood spell-bound by the window as a gray fog rolled past. Within the fog, she could see the shapes of Ostrich-Horses, and could hear gruff human voices followed by the sound of marching feet. Foot soldiers, riders, medical wagons and Earthbenders passed before her eyes, all shrouded in grey. After what seemed like hours, she heard a far off battle horn blast, and then silence. When the laundress came out of her daze, she found one of her arms was paralysed. She has never done a full day's washing since." Azula finished.

I swallowed nervously, and glanced at Ty-Lee, who was slightly pale. "Th-that was a pretty scary story, Azula," She stammered. "Is it...true?"

Azula shrugged. "Who knows? Mother said it was, so..." She glanced at her brother.

"I don't believe in ghosts." Zuko stated firmly, taking a bunch of Fire Flakes from a package, which he handed to me. "Or...vengeful spirits." He added, glancing at me.

"Oh, I believe in spirits." Azula said clearly. She glanced over her shoulder, at the shrine we were all seated before.

I glanced at it too, and saw the statue of what appeared to be an angel there, along with an inscription on polished rock. _Of Light And Of Dark._

I stood up to examine the statue more closely, but Azula's sharp voice made me stop. "Don't go there!" She warned me.

I stopped, and gulped. "Wh-why not?" I asked her.

"That's Black Antian, a statue haunted by the spirit of a mistreated wife that lies beneath her feet." Azula told me.

"You mean this is a _graveyard_!" I cried in disbelief. "Should we even _be_ here?" I wanted to know.

"It's _fine_." Zuko told me.

"Oh, I'm sure it will be okay, as long as we don't upset the spirits." Azula said casually. "Of course, Black Antian may be upset with us _already_..."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Ty-Lee asked nervously.

"Azula..." Zuko said warningly.

"Didn't Mother ever tell you?" Azula asked him. "The statues eyes glow red at midnight, and any living person who returns her gaze will be instantly struck blind. Any pregnant woman who passes through her shadow will miscarry. To sit on her lap at night means to be crushed in her dark embrace. If you speak her name three times in front of a mirror at midnight in front of a dark mirror, you will surely be pulled down into the Underworld. Spirits of the dead gather here on dark nights..." She tilted her chin thoughtfully towards the full moon. "Or, on any _other_ nights that they see fit..."

Ty-Lee looked beyond terrified at this point, and even Mei looked a little bit unnerved, but Zuko remained steady. "Even if there _is_ a spirit like that," He said firmly. "Why on earth should she _mean_ to cause us any harm? Where is her logic?"

"She lost it long ago, when the man she loved mistreated her." Azula replied. "She is _especially_ malicious towards young men..."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "I'm sure." He replied, standing up and coming to stand beside me. He took my hand and muttered: "Don't listen to Azula, she just makes things up to scare Ty-Lee..."

I nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm..." I looked up to gaze at the statue. It appeared to be a very beautiful one, albeit a little scary. A veil was pulled down over her faze, and her dark wings stretched out on either side of her. Whoever heard of making an _angel_ statue out of _black_ stone? I looked up at the statue's face and saw, in the instant that I did, a flash of red pass throughout her eyes. I gasped, and grabbed Zuko's arm. "Did you see that?" I whispered.

"Yes," He replied, a hint of annoyance in his voice, as he led me back to the circle. "Azula, that wasn't funny." He told his sister.

"What wasn't?" She asked innocently.

"Firebending flames into the statue's eyes to make them glow red." He responded.

"Zuko, I don't know what you're talking about," Azula replied calmly. "I bend _blue_ fire, not red, remember?"

"Whatever." Zuko rolled his eyes. He held my hand even more firmly and said: "We're leaving. This is completely ridiculous."

I glanced up at the sky, as the moon became hidden by a cloud, and thought: _I'm not so sure it is, Zuko..._

Azula sighed, and picked up her tea cup again. "I _knew_ you two were too scared to handle a few spirit stories..." She said.

"I am _not_ scared." Zuko replied hotly, just as the light provided by the fire was blown completely out.

Ty-Lee shrieked, something about spirits and ghosts and angels, as I grabbed Zuko's arm and hissed: "That wasn't Azula, she didn't move her hands at all just then! It's Black Antian! "

"It is _not_ Black Antian!" Zuko responded. "Antian was the name of our very first Fire Lady, if you'll remember! Come on, we're leaving!" He added, and began dragging me away from the gathering. "This was a complete waste of time!"

I nodded, and checked on Yang-Chong, who was sleeping in the front part of my robes. Somehow, he had managed to sleep through all of this.

As we were walking away, we heard Azula start to laugh, and I realised that, somehow, we'd all been tricked.

Or, _had_ we?

As we were passing a cluster of trees, I thought I saw the gleam of red eyes, and the silvery form of a Fire Nation Lady.

_The six forms are the key..._ I thought I heard a voice say, and grabbed onto Zuko's arm even tighter, burying my face in his shoulder as we walked away from the shrine...


	52. Burn Me Alive Inside

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

Burn Me Alive Inside

_I had once endeavoured to protect Emma from that monster...to protect her pure nature and beautiful innocence from such a terrible fate...my Mother had always said that women deserve respect and that, as a man, I had the power to protect them. I had never wanted anyone to lay their hands on the Priestess I had heard stories about since I was a child...to know that she and Emma were one and the same only strengthened my resolve, and made me more determined than ever to protect her..._

_I just never thought I'd have to protect her from my own Father..._

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I stood there while the servants placed the robe around my shoulders, and then buttoned it onto me.

Another servant stepped forward. "Fresh fruit, Prince Zuko?" He held out a bowl, which I waved away.

"May I wash your feet, sir?" Another servant asked eagerly, to which I also declined.

"Head message?" The first servant asked, and I turned away.

"Hot towel?" The second servant suggested, holding out some neatly bundled and steaming towels.

I considered this for a moment, before sighing, picking up a towel and rubbing my face, which I'm sure looked extremely frustrated by now.

I walked out of my room, and into the hall, where I was met by an equally frustrated-looking Emma.

"What's your problem?" We asked each other in unison, and then both sighed dramatically in response.

I smiled slightly. "Palace life getting you down already, huh?" I asked her, as we walked side-by-side down the hallway. "We've only been here for, what, two months, tops?"

She giggled. "What about you? You've had, what, sixteen or so years to get used to it, give or take a few? What's _your_ excuse?" She wanted to know.

"Teenage rebellion?" I suggested, and she laughed.

"It must be contagious." She replied. Yang-Chong, who was perched on her shoulder, twittered at this, and pecked at her dangly earring. "Oh, look, he's agreeing with it." Emma rolled her eyes.

We turned a corner just then, and came face-to-face with my Father.

Emma and I both froze at the same time, neither one of us knowing what to do or what to say.

My Father glanced at me, and then turned his attention to Emma. She was perfectly still, her face pale except for a streak of pink across her nose.

"What are you plans for today, Emma?" He asked her.

She flinched slightly, and then stammered: "I was...uh...I'm...I'm going to...Mai's house!" She told my Father, and I blinked. "Yeah, that's it," She muttered. "We were just going there now!" She elbowed me slightly. "Right, Zuko?"

"Uh...yes, we were." I said quietly, nodding.

"Emma, I must ask that you put your plans on hold for today." My Father replied, and Emma froze again. "I have an important matter I need to take care of."

"Uh..." She looked trapped, and I saw her twist the gold ring around her finger uncomfortably. "Umm..."

My Father gave her an intense look.

Emma sighed, and her shoulders slumped. "Of course, Ozai." She turned to me, a look of sadness flashing through her eyes. "I'll see you later, Zuko." She said, nodding to me.

I nodded back to her, and watched her walk away with my Father, who placed his hand on her back between her shoulder blades, a silent but clear message he was conveying – she was his or, she _would_ be, after the eclipse.

I clenched my teeth in anger. _She isn't yours..._ I thought. _She isn't..._

_O~O~O~O_

I did actually end up going to Mai's house. She looked a little surprised and not at all happy to see me, but she let me in, and we actually had a very civil conversation about the state of affairs within her family and mine. I even confided in her how frustrated I was feeling about palace life at the moment.

"I'm sure there are _some_ perks to being royalty," Mai said, sitting in a chair across from me. "However, I don't really see the highlight of it, no matter _what_ Azula says. There's very annoying stuff, like that all-day war meeting coming up."

I sat up straight then, and stared at her. "War meeting? What are you talking about?"

"Azula mentioned something." Mai replied, looking slightly confused. "I assumed you were going, too..."

"I guess I wasn't invited." I replied bitterly.

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

There was a knock on my bedroom door that evening. I sat up very straight, feigning strict posture. "Enter." I said, in the most royal-sounding voice I could muster. The door opened, and Zuko walked in. "Oh, it's just you." I realised, and returned to my position of lying down on one side of my bed, completely at ease.

"Yeah, that's how I feel lately." Zuko replied, sounding slightly irritated as he let himself in and shut the door behind him.

"Sorry," I responded, closing my eyes briefly for a moment. "I'm just...stressed. Everyone expects me to be something I'm not. What about you? What's your big issue?"

"There's an all-day war meeting coming up," He replied, and I heard him seat himself in a chair across from my bed. "And I'm not invited."

"I see." I replied, opening my eyes but not moving. "Do you want me to say something to your Father?"

"No," Zuko responded, sounding tired as well. "It doesn't matter, anyway."

"I don't believe that for one second," I informed him, sighing. "However, I'm not in the mood to argue with you about it. This is something the two of you should probably sort out for yourselves."

Zuko was silent for a second, and I raised my head and looked at him. "What?"

"The way you were talking." Zuko replied, staring at me. "You sounded like my Mother."

"Augh." I groaned, falling back to the bed with a thump. "_Please_ don't say that..."

"Emma, what's wrong?" Zuko got up and walked over to me, sitting on the other side of the bed.

"Nothing's _wrong_, exactly," I replied, evasively, as he raised an eyebrow. "Okay, I'll tell you, but you won't like it."

"Try me." Zuko replied, lying down on the bed beside me, and either not noticing or choosing to ignore the way I froze up when he did so.

"Today, Ozai had me try on different gowns," I said, and watched the expression on Zuko's face. It had suddenly turned stormy, which is _about_ what I expected. "They were wedding gowns, and apparently I'm supposed to wear more than one on the day, which isn't happening but _anyway_...so, Ozai's making all these suggestions, and I'm too afraid to speak my mind, and so the end result was that each gown was an almost _exact_ duplicate of the ones your Mother wore to _her_ wedding. I'm told so often how much I look and act like her, which isn't such a _bad_ thing, except when it comes to your Father..." I glanced over at Zuko, to see that his face was still stormy. "Oh, I _told_ you that you wouldn't like it!" I exclaimed. I propped myself up on my elbow and looked at him. "Zuko, I'm sorry..."

"For what?" He seemed surprised.

"For...well, everything...you promised to protect me, but it's turning you against your Father...right when you'd gotten back his respect..." I said. "I'm always in your way...I don't know why you keep me around..."

Zuko suddenly reached up and grabbed me, taking me by surprise as he pulled me onto his chest in a tight hug. My heart-rate increased then, as he rested his chin on the top of my head, and mumbled: "Back when I said that, I didn't know anything..._I'm_ the one who should be sorry...remember, I also said I'd keep bringing you back to me, even if you don't like me? " He reminded me.

"I could never _not_ like you." I told him, my voice muffled against his robes. My face was flaming – I wasn't used to being this close to a guy.

"That's good to know." He replied. "So...do I get to see these gowns or what?"

"You _want_ to see them?" I asked in surprise, raising myself up on my hands so that I was looking at him again.

He nodded. "I promise not to say anything about my Mother."

"It's okay when _you_ say it," I told him truthfully. "But...okay...wait here!"

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

It was hard for me to describe how I was feeling, as Emma modelled each of the four gowns for me. I felt angry at my Father, yet I couldn't deny that what I was seeing in Emma was beautiful, and _that_ made me feel slightly jealous...I suddenly wanted no one but me to stand beside Emma when she looked like this.

The first gown was a long light-gold coloured robe with a dark-red waist-tie with white embroidery on it. This was what she would wear at the beginning of the banquet.

The second gown was a red and gold _qipao_, with ornate trimmings and a high neck-collar. This would be worn up until the sixth course of the banquet.

For the remainder of the banquet, Emma would wear a traditional Fire Nation gown, complete with head-piece and such.

And, when saying farewell to the guests, she would wear an all red _qipao_, which was shorter than the first one yet equally extravagant, and had a golden dragon embroidered onto the back of it.

I stood next to her in front of the large mirror when she tried on this last gown, and put my hands on her shoulders.

"It's just a shame I won't get to wear these things." She said, tilting her head to one side. "They're really quite lovely."

"Perhaps one day, you will." I replied, and watched her blush as she read between the lines. I smiled, and tucked a lock of her long hair behind her ear. "You're pretty cute when you blush, you know that?"

She turned to me, and I leaned towards her. _Please, let nothing ruin this moment, like it _always_ seems to happen_...

There was suddenly a knock on the door, and both Emma and I jumped.

_Damn it!_

"Y-yes?" She called.

"Is everything alright, Milady?" An attendant called to her.

"Everything's fine!" She replied. She turned her face up towards me, and closed her eyes.

There was suddenly another knock on the door, and she opened her eyes and sighed. "Yes?"

"I forgot to ask if there is anything you need, Lady Emma?" That same attendant called through the door.

"No, I don't need anything!" She assured the servant, as I put my hands on her waist and drew her closer to me.

There was a third knock on the door.

"_What_? !" Emma sounded annoyed now.

"Emma?" My Father's voice said.

Emma's eyes widened, and she gave me a startled look. She mouthed the word 'hide' to me, which I did – I dove under the bed just as the door opened, and my Father walked in.

"What are you doing?" He asked Emma.

"I was just...seeing how I looked." I could only see her feet, but I envisioned her gesturing vaguely to the mirror.

My Father's footsteps approached her, and then he stood beside her. "You seem a little breathless." He noted.

I imagined Emma standing there frozen, my Father's hands on her shoulders. "Y-yes, perhaps I am, Ozai..."

"I see."

I gripped the carpet with my fingers. Why was my Father standing so close to Emma?

"I require your presence tomorrow evening, and the day after." My Father told Emma.

"Why?" She wanted to know.

"Tomorrow evening there will be a banquet," My Father replied. "And, I wish for you to sing there – there are generals coming from the Fire Nation Colonies who wish to hear you sing."

"O...kay..." Emma said faintly. I could only _imagine_ what she might be thinking right now.

"And, the following day, there is a war meeting that I wish for you to attend." My Father continued, and my fingers now dug painfully into the carpet. "If you are to represent all that this nation stands for, alongside me, then you will be expected to be present at such meetings. Will you do this for me?"

Emma was silent for a moment, before she replied: "It does not seem like I have a choice in these matters, Ozai." She sounded sad.

"No, you do not." My Father agreed, and I resisted the urge to leap out from under the bed and place myself between the two of them. "The power that resides within you _will_ make you an asset to myself, and to the Fire Nation's cause. You will stand at my side, and never once stray from it. You will soon belong to _me_."

With those final words, he left, closing the heavy doors behind him.

As soon as he was gone, I hurried out from under the bed, rushing to Emma's side to catch her as she faltered. She buried her face in my chest as she sobbed, and all I could do was hold her, although we were both shaking.

_O~O~O~O_

**Azula's P.O.V:**

I watched as my brother approached me. "Hello, Zuzu. If you've come for a royal hair combing, I'm afraid you'll have to wait." One of the attendants suddenly tugged on my hair too hard. "Ouch! Be careful, you incompetent fool!" I snapped.

"Yes, I'm sorry, Princess." The attendant replied contritely.

Zuko glanced at Emma, who was having her own hair washed and combed, and then said to me: "So, I guess there's a big war meeting coming up, huh. And apparently I'm not welcome there."

"What do you mean?" I asked him. "Of course you're welcome there."

"Oh yeah?" Zuko seemed perturbed. "I guess that's why no one bothered to tell me about it."

I eyed him. "Oh Zuko, don't be so dramatic. I'm certain Dad wants you there. You probably weren't invited, because it's so _obvious_ that you're supposed to be there." I reasoned, diplomatically.

"Well, were _you_ invited?" He wanted to know.

I smirked. "Of course. I'm the Princess."

"And I'm the Prince!" My brother reminded me.

"Exactly." I replied. "So stop acting like a paranoid child."

"Don't sass your brother, Azula." Emma suddenly spoke up.

"Quiet you." I snapped, and then looked at Zuko, who looked annoyed, although whether it was about me snapping at Emma or him not being invited to the meeting, I knew not. "And you, just _go_ to the meeting."

"Forget it," he replied stubbornly. "I'm not going."

"Fine then, suit yourself." I replied.

I heard Emma sigh, and then she started to sing softly, filling the silence with her voice. "_Here we are, safe at last, we can breathe a sigh, it seems the storm has passed...through it all...no one knew, that all the tears in heaven, would bring me back to you..._"

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"Those were beautiful songs you sang this evening, Emma." Ozai said to me. "You have a beautiful singing voice."

"Thank you." I replied, wondering why he had taken me here to the Fire Temple. What could he possibly want _now_?

"I have something for you." Ozai said suddenly, stepping forwards and, on an impulse, I took a step backwards. Ozai reached forwards with surprising speed and gripped me by the arms. His grip was incredibly strong, and I struggled to free myself, but to no avail. He quickly removed the heavy outer robe that I wore, leaving my arms bare. Fire immediately burned on Ozai's left hand that was gripped around my shoulder but, before I could open my mouth to scream, he had kissed me.

A thousand and one emotions and feelings flooded directly into my body just then, overruled most of all by fear and pain. I was reminded of when I'd been kissed by Admiral Zhao, back in the Water Tribe, only this time was a lot different. My mind was numb, as my body was almost involuntarily arched upwards to deepen the kiss with Ozai, and my left shoulder was screaming with pain.

Tears fell unhindered from my eyes, a reaction to the pain and fear and, when Ozai let go of me, I collapsed, fainting into his arms, an exact replica of the Fire Nation insignia now permanently scarred onto my shoulder, and a non-visible mark now forever etched into my heart...


	53. Fear The Flame

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

Fear The Flame

_"So, I guess there's a big war meeting coming up, huh. And apparently I'm not welcome there."_

_"What do you mean?" I asked him. "Of course you're welcome there."_

_"Oh yeah?" Zuko seemed perturbed. "I guess that's why no one bothered to tell me about it."_

_I eyed him. "Oh Zuko, don't be so dramatic. I'm certain Dad wants you there. You probably weren't invited, because it's so obvious that you're supposed to be there." I reasoned, diplomatically._

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

When I woke up the next morning, at first I couldn't remember what had happened the night before. Then, it all came rushing back to me like a huge tidal wave, so fast that it made me feel almost sick.

I turned my head to look at my left shoulder, and seeing the bandage there brought back all of the memories of what had happened. _I got burned by Ozai...I tried to heal it, but it wouldn't and, besides, I was in so much pain that I fainted again...and, I got..._kissed_..by Ozai..._

Just thinking about that made me wipe my mouth in some sort of attempt to get rid of the contamination caused by the Fire Lord's act of dominance. In that one instant, I had realised that Ozai truly _did_ intend to _own_ me...just thinking about what would happen if I didn't escape the Fire Nation...if I was forced into this marriage...

"Augh!" I cried, out-loud, the very thought sending shivers running through me, as I grabbed the covers and drew them up over my head, alarmed at the sudden vision. Drawing my arms up around my chest, I whispered: "How can I go forth, knowing I was _kissed_ by this horrible man...? I feel so...so...tainted!"

Much as I would have liked to have stayed in bed all day, I knew that I would have to face the world, and sooner rather than later. I had an all-day war meeting to attend – the one where Ozai would decide to follow in Sozin's footsteps – and I wasn't looking forward to it. My only consolation was that, one, Zuko would be there and, two, I was leaving almost as soon as it was done.

On the day of the solar eclipse, I could find Aang and the others, and leave with them...I'd be safe, as long as I never saw Ozai again...just one more day, and then I'd be free...

With that in mind, I threw the blankets off and got out of bed, ignoring the painful throbbing on my left shoulder and turning to face the sunshine...

Only one more day...

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I sighed, and stared into the tea cup Mai had just handed me. I was here, but my mind was elsewhere. I was thinking about the war-meeting. It must have started by now. I could easily picture my Father, looking both impressive and intimidating, seated before the war council. My sister would probably be seated on his left, looking completely at ease in such a situation. I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the girl seated on my Father's right would probably be feeling the complete opposite. It made me wish that I'd just swallowed my pride and gone to the damn meeting, like Azula had suggested. At least I could support Emma _somewhat_ by being there...I hadn't even _seen_ her today...

I sighed.

Mai guessed what I was sighing about, and gave me a sympathetic look (well, sympathetic for Mai), just as a royal messenger entered the room, and bowed. "Prince Zuko, everyone's waiting for you?"

"What?" I asked him, as Mai and I approached him. What was he talking about?

"The high admirals, high generals, the war ministers and the Princesses have all arrived." The messenger replied, and I raised my eyebrow slightly at the last ones – so, Emma was a _Princess_ now? My Father was wasting no time in claiming her as his...

"You're the only person missing." The messenger added.

Mai was smiling by this stage, and I realised how worried she'd been about me.

"So..." I realised. "My Dad wants me at the meeting."

"The Fire Lord said he would not start until you arrived, sir." The messenger bowed his head.

My smile now reflected Mai's. Maybe there was hope, after all...

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"Welcome, Prince Zuko. We waited for you." Ozai's voice cut through my reverie, and I lifted my gaze to see Zuko walking towards us. My heart thudded in the usual way, but I dared not show any emotion, because Ozai and Azula were watching, not to mention a dozen or so fairly scary-looking soldiers.

Zuko bowed to his Father before sitting down on my right. Our eyes met for a second, and we both looked away.

"General Shinu," Ozai said. "Your report?"

The General bowed his head in acknowledgement. "Thank you, sir." He stood up. "Ba Sing Se is still under our control." He began pacing. "However, Earthbender rebellions have prevented us from achieving total victory in the Earth Kingdom."

_Good for them._ I thought, a little smugly, hoping that my face didn't betray any emotion, as Ozai frowned at this piece of information.

"What is your recommendation?" The Fire Lord asked.

"Our army is spread too thin but once the eclipse is over and the invasion defeated, we should transfer more domestic forces into the Earth Kingdom." Shinu replied.

I sensed eyes on me, and glanced to my right to see Zuko looking at me out of the corner of his eyes. I looked back at him, wanting to say so much to him, and not being able to. From the look in his eyes, I could tell that he felt the same way. I wanted to tell him what had happened between his Father and me last night, but I was also afraid of what his reaction might be. Should I wait until after we'd left, or risk telling him before? Would I get a chance to tell him after? Would I regret it if I _did_? The choice was not easy...

"Prince Zuko." Ozai said suddenly, and both Zuko and I looked at him. "You've been among the Earth Kingdom commoners. Do you think that adding more troops will stop these rebellions?"

Zuko paused for a moment, before bowing his head and answering: "The people of the Earth Kingdom are proud and strong. They can endure anything as long as they have hope."

Well, for heaven's sake, he was right, of course, but did he have to go and _say_ it to a bunch of people hell-bent on taking _over_ the Earth Kingdom...? I knew he was _supposed_ to have said that, but _really_...

"Yes, you're right." Ozai responded thoughtfully, and then an evil look I _really_ didn't like came over his face. "We need to destroy their hope..."

_Here we go..._ I thought.

Zuko said: "Well, that's not exactly what I..."

Azula cut him off, and I resisted the urge to admonish her for it. "I think you should take their precious hope," The Fire Princess carelessly adjusted her fringe. "And the rest of their land, and burn it all to the ground." She crossed her arms and smiled, smugly.

"Yes..." Ozai's smile was just plain evil. "Yes, you're right, Azula." He got up and walked towards the table, as Azula looked like the cat who'd gotten the canary. "Sozin's Comet is almost upon us." Stopping near the edge of the table, Ozai went on: "And, on that day, it will endow us with the strength and power of a hundred Suns. No Bender will stand a chance against us."

"What are you suggesting, sir?" Shinu wanted to know.

I closed my eyes, knowing what was coming. As Ozai spoke, I envisioned the horror he was depicting. "When the comet last came, my Grandfather, Fire Lord Sozin, used it to wipe out the Air Nomads. Now, I will use its power to end the Earth Kingdom. Permanently."

I opened my eyes and chanced a half-glance at Zuko. As predicted, he looked shocked. He glanced at me, and I was startled to find that there were tears burning the backs of my eyes. Zuko and I didn't take our gazes off each other, as his Father walked across the table, and his shadow covered the eastern hemisphere of this world.

"From our airships," The Fire Lord said. "We will rain fire over their lands. A fire that will destroy _everything_." He walked to the middle of the map. "And out of the ashes," He opened his arms to the side. "A new World will be born. A World in which _all_ the lands are Fire Nation, and _I_ am...the supreme ruler of everything!"

The generals all burst into applause, as Zuko and I continued to gaze at each other.

Just then, Ozai said: "Emma."

I reluctantly tore my gaze away from Zuko, and looked instead towards his Father. "Y-yes?"

"Come to stand beside me." He said.

_Oh, shite..._ I thought, giving Zuko a desperate look as I rose and, not missing Azula's questioning stare, went to stand beside their Father. My heart was hammering in my chest like almost never before, and I was suddenly terrified. My left shoulder gave a reminding throb, and I took as much time as I dared to reach the Fire Lord's side. The generals all looked on, question-marks in their eyes.

When I reached Ozai's side, he looked down at me, and said: "What are your thoughts on this plan, Emma?"

_It's a terrible plan, a horribly evil plan that no mortal man should _ever_ consider, and you ought to be ashamed of yourself, you Sauron-Voldemort-Devimon-Lokesh-Freeza-Caius-Megatron-Orochimaru-Shredder-Robotnic wannabe!_

No, don't worry, I didn't _say_ that, but I _thought_ it.

Instead, I looked _right_ into Ozai's amber eyes and, trying to keep the tears out of my own but probably failing, said quietly: "The world will never...recover."

"And why is that?" Ozai's voice was quiet – it matched my own.

I couldn't tear my gaze away from his, suddenly. I said: "It will be burnt so deeply that...it will be forced to bow down. I believe that...it will never be the same." That much was true, but there was so much _more_ that I wanted to say!

"No, you're right." Ozai agreed. "It will be _better_ – the world _will_ learn to both fear and respect the mightiest of elements. They will be shown their place, when I rise from the ashes...and you, my dear..." My mouth ran dry then and, for half a second, I wanted to run. "Will be by my side."

I could feel the eyes of the generals, Prince Zuko and Princess Azula on us, burning _holes_ into us at this turn of events.

Oh. My. God. What could I say? What could I _do_? In one sentence, Ozai had literally announced our engagement to the rest of the court, including his own two children. I stole a quick glance at them, as did their Father. Just in time, Zuko rearranged his expression into one of surprise, but I could tell that he was furious. Possibly, Azula was as well, but she seemed more startled than anything. I really couldn't fathom what _either_ of them was thinking right then.

I looked back at Ozai, and he looked back at me.

I bowed my head demurely, and responded: "As you wish...Ozai..."

_Yeah, right. Not on your life, Beardy..._

_O~O~O~O_

Zuko and I left the meeting together, and I walked quickly ahead of him. He hurried to catch up.

"Emma, wait!" He called to me, catching me on the shoulder.

"Ouch!" I cried, despite myself.

"Are you okay?" The Prince asked me, concerned.

"Y-yeah," I lied, holding onto my sore shoulder with my right hand. I hadn't dared to look at the burn since last night. I was afraid of what I might see, especially since I knew it was going to scar now. "I'm okay, thanks..."

"I'm sorry." Zuko replied.

"About what?" I questioned, surprised. An apology from Zuko is a rare thing...must be a blue moon...

"About...everything..." He bowed his head. "About my Father, about what he's planning to do and...about what he wants from you...I can't believe I didn't see all this before...the Fire Nation, and how terrified the rest of the world is of us..." He closed his eyes, as if struggling to suppress some kind of hidden emotion. "I was so _blind_ before...I wanted my Father's respect...I wanted to believe that what was happening was _right_...but it's _not_...I'm ashamed that I was _born_ into the nation that started this war..."

"No, Prince Zuko!" I cried, and he opened his eyes quickly and looked at me, startled. I reached up, placing my hands on either side of his face, and looked intently into his eyes. "You must _never_ say that! Listen to me...don't hate the nation or era you were born into. You were born here for a reason. You can't change what happened, but you can set it right. You, who has struggled over these years..." I was surprised to find tears in my eyes now. "Even if you don't believe in yourself, _I_ believe in you...and, in what you can do for your nation. The Fire Nation was once great, and can be again..." I lowered my head then, a little bit ashamed by my long, drawn-out speech. "As long as you are who you are, that's all I want..."

Zuko suddenly hugged me to his chest, so quickly I was startled out of my tears.

"_Thank_ you..." The young Prince said, vehemently.

"You're welcome." I replied, my voice muffled against his chest. I rested my head there. "What...will you do now?"

"What I should have done in the first place." Zuko replied firmly. "I'm going to teach the Avatar Firebending."

"You can start by calling him 'Aang', not 'Avatar' – he hates that." I informed him.

"Really?"

"Yeah – it'd be like people calling you 'Prince' all the time."

"People _do_ call me 'prince' all the time." Zuko reminded me.

"Hmm, that's true...okay then, how about 'Zuzu'?"

"Touché."

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

Later that evening, as I made plans to leave the Fire Nation, and Emma was in her room making plans of her own, I began to think about something I hadn't been too keen to think about lately...

My future, and...how it involved Emma.

She was such a unique person; there was no doubt about that. I had never met anyone like her, except for maybe my Mother. Even though she disliked the comparison, Emma _was_ a lot like my Mother – when she wasn't complaining, or crying, or losing her temper and yelling. She was just calm and caring, she adapted to things well, she was smart, and funny, and she _cared_ about me, and she was beautiful...

Yes, there was no sense in denying it anymore. The girl was beautiful. I didn't even know _why_, and it was so hard to explain...she was just...oh, how did I describe it?

I decided to write it down.

I picked up the calligraphy brush, dipped it in the ink, and then paused, trying to figure out what to write. At last, I began to ink the words onto paper.

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I knelt down beside the bed, and looked Yang-Chong in the eye.

"Now, sweetie," I said carefully. "Tomorrow, we are leaving." The phoenix blinked. "We are going to be rejoining Aang and the others. Don't you want to see Momo and Appa again? Because, I wanna see everyone again. But, the problem is...you won't be able to get your portrait painted. Is that okay?"

Yang-Chong crowed a few times, and appeared to do a little dance.

I laughed, and stood up. "Sounds like a plan, then." He flew over to the window. "Oh, are you going out?" I asked. I walked over to the window and opened it for him, feeling the warm skin on my bare skin. I was wearing only my night robes and, since it was a warm night, they were open at the front, revealing my underwear. No problem, it's not like I was expecting company...

Just then, there was a knock on the door. It sounded insistent.

"Damn it!" I muttered. "Okay, hold on a second!" I was desperately trying to retie my robes, when the door opened anyway. "I said _wait_, Goddamn it!"

_O~O~O~O_

**Azula's P.O.V:**

I marched down the hallway, brushing past attendants and not caring when I knocked over a priceless vase.

I was...angry...no, that wasn't quite right...I was more confused than anything, and I knew that one person alone could give me all the answers I needed. This one person probably knew more about what was going on than I did and, like it or not, I was about to pay them a visit.

I reached the door and knocked sharply on it.

"Okay, hold on a second!" The voice on the other side said.

"We need to talk!" I snapped, as I let myself into the room anyway, and glared at my brother. Hands on hips, I barely registered the fact that he was sitting at his desk, a piece of parchment with drying ink sprawled out before him. "Right now!"

My brother raised an eyebrow, before sighing and standing up. "Okay, Azula, what is it?"

"Oh, I think you know..." She replied acidly. "It's about our Step-Mother-to-be!"

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"Zuko," I said, as calmly as I could. "How many times do I have to tell you to _knock_ before you let yourself in, I could be..." I turned around, and my blood ran cold. I'm sure my face turned three shades paler and, if it was possible, my heart-rate increased more than it ever had before. My hands dropped to my sides, and my robe ties fluttered to the ground.

Ozai stood before me, staring at me with an unreadable expression, but the look in his eyes was a look that I recognized. I had seen it once before, in Admiral Zhao's eyes, and now...

I took a subconscious step back, and found myself backed up against a wall. Oh, great...

Ozai took a step into the room, and the door swung shut behind him.

"I was planning on waiting..." He said, in a softer voice than I'd expected him to use. "Until tomorrow night...however..."

If it had been possible for me to melt into the wall and escape right then, I swear I really would have. As it was, I was pressed up against the wall so hard that it almost hurt, but that pain was only a fraction of what I expected in that instant.

"No..." I whispered. "Oh God, no..."

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Azula, what about her?"

"How can you possibly be okay with this? !" She exclaimed, throwing her hands up into the air. "Zuko, this is our _Father_ and...and...some..._commoner_! Some riff-raff peasant from another world!"

"Stop talking about her like that, Azula!" I said sharply, striding forward to stand in front of my sister. I was taller than her, and so looked down upon her. "It doesn't matter where she came from or who she is, what matters is...is that..."

"Yes?" Azula looked back up at me, knowingly, almost smugly. "You're in _love_ with her, aren't you, Zuzu? You've probably been in love with her since _before_ she appeared on your ship, since Mother used to read those silly little Priestess stories to us. And now..." Azula looked to the side, seeming slightly...disturbed, all of a sudden. "Now she's marrying Father...I can't _imagine_ what possessed him to do such a thing...not just the fact that she's a nobody, and stop looking at me like that!" She glared at me. "_What_ is Father possibly _thinking_? !"

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I stared at Ozai, and he stared back at me.

"Why?" I asked suddenly, my fingers gripping at the wall behind me. "Ozai, _why_ me? This may be a news flash for you, but I _don't_ love you! You're destroying the world, and you don't even care!" The words were no sooner out of my mouth, when I was grabbed roughly and slammed to the floor. I gasped, as I stared up at Ozai, who was suddenly wearing an expression I _really_ didn't like...it was one of a man who is struggling to maintain control, to...assert his dominance over something...

"The spiritual power that resides within a Priestess is potent enough to empower even the weakest man!" Ozai replied, his position over me disallowing me to move. He placed one hand over the side of my face, and my heart-rate increased. I would have given almost _anything_ to get out of this situation. "You, my dear, are no exception...the three spiritual energies that reside within you are especially strong...I could feel them from the moment I first laid eyes on you, when my son carried you into the royal palace."

I was frozen in place under him. Zuko...was the one who carried me into the palace when we'd first arrived? But...what about Mai?

Ozai was still speaking, and I mentally berated myself for zoning out at a time like this. "_Shen_," His hand trailed from the top of my head to my neck. "_Chi_," His hand trailed down the length of my throat, down the centre of my chest and to my stomach. I was utterly frozen by this stage, knowing what was coming. "And..._ching_..." His eyes captured mine. "You know this last energy?" He whispered.

My mouth was dry by this stage. "I know _of_ it..." My voice was barely above a whisper.

Ozai chuckled softly. "Soon, my Emma...you will experience it..." He informed me.

"Please, no..." I whispered. "Don't do this..."

"I will be empowered..." Ozai said. "This is our..._destiny_..."

_O~O~O~O_

**Azula's P.O.V:**

I glanced past my brother then, my eyes zeroing in on the paper on his desk. "What is that?" I asked him.

Too late, he tried to stop me from taking it, but I was too quick for him, and reached out and grabbed the paper. I ran down the hallway, and he chased after me, ordering me to give the parchment I was playing keep-away with back.

As I ran, I read some of the sentences out-loud. "_Her eyes are like the purest gold...her hair as soft as a cloud_? Zuzu, what _is_ this?"

"Give it back, Azula!" Zuko threatened, his expression stormy as he cornered me in a hallway. "Right now!"

"You _are_ in love with her, aren't you? !" I mocked him. "You're in love with her, but Father's going to marry her! This is just _pitiful_, Zuko!" I said, holding the paper up and setting fire to it.

I watched my brother's expression as the paper burned, the embers fluttering to the carpet slowly. Zuko looked stunned for a second, then upset, and then...

Deadly calm.

"Azula." He said, and suddenly assumed a Firebending stance.

I laughed, a little sarcastically. "Oh, are you going to challenge me to an Agni Kai?"

"Yes." Zuko replied. "Unless you're...scared...?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Fine then, Zuko...I'll duel you, and then we'll _see_ who's scared..." I assumed my own Firebending stance.

My brother and I faced each other and then, in unison, sent waves of fire at each other, blue for me and red for him. They collided in the middle of the hallway, and rebounded, causing a mini-explosion that reverberated through the halls.

A few seconds passed, before my brother and I readied our second wave of attacks but, just then, the fierce and commanding voice of our Father shouted: "_ENOUGH_! !" Putting an end to our sibling-duel quickly...

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I was lying on the floor where Ozai had left me, shaking because of how close I had just come to...well...my worst fear...

I was frozen there for a few seconds, feeling the seconds ticking past, before I realised that, at any given moment, Ozai could come back from his investigation...and then...

No. Then, I wouldn't be here. I was not going to lose myself to him...I was not going to let him take away my innocence...my _purity_...my power...

"No..." I whispered, as the tears streamed down my face and, slowly and shakily, I sat up. "Not this time...not _any_ time..."

I knew what I had to do.

I just hoped that I'd left myself enough time to do it...


	54. Fly Away

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

Fly Away

_Zuko and I didn't take our gazes off each other, as his Father walked across the table, and his shadow covered the eastern hemisphere of this world._

_"From our airships," The Fire Lord said. "We will rain fire over their lands. A fire that will destroy everything." He walked to the middle of the map. "And out of the ashes," He opened his arms to the side. "A new World will be born. A World in which all the lands are Fire Nation, and I am...the supreme ruler of everything!"_

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

_The Day Before..._

Luckily for me, Ozai didn't return that evening, which was just as well, because I'd made up my mind that I never wanted to see him again.

Ever.

I couldn't _believe_ what had almost happened, and I ran all the way to the prison, intent on telling my entire story to Uncle Iroh before I did anything else.

However, I found that it was not going to be as easy as I wanted it to be.

"I'm sorry," Warden Poon said, not sounding sorry at all. He barred my way forward. "No one is allowed in here without proper authorisation."

I had finally had enough. I lunged forwards, and grabbed the cruel man by the throat, slamming him up against the wall with more strength then I should have had.

"Listen, _Mister_!" I snapped. "Maybe you haven't heard, but I'm _engaged_ to the Fire Lord – whether I like it or not!" Poon's face paled. "So let me in, or I start getting angry!"

Poon stared at me for a moment, before saying: "Of-of course, M-Milady…"

I sighed, and let go of him. He slid to the floor. "I'm glad we understand each other, Poon." I replied, and let myself into the cell.

Iroh was watching me, as I fell to my knees. "Why did I just do that?" I wondered, shaking my head. "Uncle Iroh, what am I going to _do_? I _don't_ want to marry your brother, so I'm leaving the Fire Nation but…it feels like he has some sort of claim over me, anyway…" I hung my head. "I don't know what to do…"

Iroh regarded me intently. "Emma…what is it that _you_ want?"

I looked at him. "What…I want?" I repeated. "You know…I haven't really…" I paused, and then said: "I think…I want…_peace_. And…I want those around me to be happy, but not if it causes others pain. I want to get stronger, in mind and in body, and I want…" I blushed. "I want to…to be with…with Zuko…" I finished, in a _very_ small voice. "A lot…I…I love him…"

Iroh's eyes were sparkling, though his gaze remained intense. "Emma…there is something I need to know. What _exactly_ did my brother say to you, in regards to this…_engagement_…?"

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

After being reprimanded by my Father, and receiving a death-glare from Azula that only fazed me a little bit, I returned to my room to find it now occupied.

"Yang-Chong?" I looked at the lady whose arm he was perched on. "And…Zhu?"

The Priestess, whom I now knew was my Aunty, turned around, her face grave and her golden eyes intense.

"Zuko," She said, her voice somewhat cold. "Do you know what happened, not ten minutes ago?"

"What?" I asked, feeling nervous suddenly, and my heart seemed to lurch. "Is…is it Emma? Is she okay?"

"Where do you think your Father was before he yelled at you and your sister?" Zhu asked quietly.

My heart nearly stopped beating then. "Emma…is…is she okay?" I could barely get the words out.

Zhu sighed. "Yes, thankfully, you – unknowingly – interrupted them, just in time."

My heart was beating fast now, and I felt a sick feeling in my stomach, like I'd just been punched. "She's okay?"

"Well, that remains to be seen." Zhu gave me a piercing glare. "Zuko, wake up to this all! Emma's a Priestess! If your Father gets the spiritual power from her, then all hope for restoring balance to the world is doomed! Do you hear me? _Doomed_!"

I took a step back. I'd _never_ heard Zhu get so angry before, not even the time Azula took a pair of scissors to Zhu's golden locks. There was a frightening intensity to her voice like I'd never heard before, and she reminded me of my Uncle.

"Not only that," The Priestess went on, marching towards me and grasping my shoulder painfully. "But Emma will have gone through the _one_ thing she fears for herself above all else! Zuko, _you_ need to be there for her! You need to be the man standing beside her and protecting her! It is your _destiny_! She's your Soul Mate!" Her voice rang through the room.

I froze, finally locking gazes with the golden-haired Priestess, unable to fully grasp what she'd just said. "S-Soul Mate?" I repeated, quietly.

Zhu nodded. "Yes. For each one of us, there is a spiritual partner, someone who completes us. You two may deny it all you both want but, at the end of the day, you _can't_ deny the bond you have. Love is a power greater than any element, and _mutual_ love is stronger than any magic. Remember that, and think about what you _want_…"

"What I want?" I thought for a moment. "I thought…that…what I wanted was my Father's respect…"

"Is that still what you want?" Zhu questioned, not letting go of my shoulder.

I shook my head. "No! Now I can't even believe that I'm _related_ to him! He tried to…" I couldn't even say the words. "What he tried to do to Emma…what he's done to the rest of the world…I can't…I can't just stand by anymore. I'm going to teach the Avatar Firebending, and help him to restore balance to the world. I'm going to right the wrongs of all of my Forefathers. I'm going to save my nation, because…if I don't fight for it, who will?" _Azula? Yeah, right…_

"I would." A voice said form behind me, and I turned to see Emma standing there. She looked no worse for wear after her ordeal, although she seemed a little out of breath, like she'd just been running.

"You would?" I asked her, a little bit hopefully, as if I expected her to say no.

"Of course." She said, hugging me around the waist, much to my surprise. "It's important to us…"

I looked down at her for a moment, before leaning down and brushing my lips lightly against hers.

At once, I felt that familiar tingling spread throughout my body, and tasted the familiarity of jasmine and honey, but…there was something else…a slight trace of a bitter, almost metallic taste, like her lips had been tainted.

I drew back from her, and looked intently into her eyes. "Emma…did my Father…?"

She nodded miserably. "Zhao, too…I…my only…consolation is that…" She lowered her head. "You were my…first…I just wish that I wasn't…tainted now…"

"I'm sorry about all that." I said truthfully, not wanting to see her so upset anymore. It pained me to see _her_ in any form of pain, emotional included. "I hope this makes up for it."

I put my hand gently under her chin, so that she raised her head, and kissed her again, gently at first, but then with more strength as if, somehow, I could erase the invisible poison left there by my Father and by Zhao. I suddenly wanted _nothing_ more than to be here for Emma, to protect her and make sure that she was safe but, more importantly…I wanted her to be _happy_. I wanted her to have only good things in life, and not have to deal with the pain and suffering that seemed to follow us all around. But…even I knew that was just a fantasy…life has a way of making things almost unbearable…

As if she somehow sensed what I was trying to do, Emma's eyes widened for a moment, before fluttering closed, and she returned the kiss. I placed one hand on the small of her back, and the other on the back of her neck, angling her to deepen the kiss. She returned it with an intensity I hadn't known she had, almost strategically placing her body just enough to make my heart race.

I felt a sense of connection between us just then, like something was being returned to place. Everything was clicking into formation, and I suddenly knew what Zhu had been talking about before.

_This_ was right. _This_ was how it was meant to be. I knew then and there what I wanted more than anything in the world.

I wanted _her_ – the girl whose lips I was tasting, whose arms were looped around my neck, whose chest was pressed up against mine so that our hearts seemed to be beating in unison. I wanted her more than I'd ever wanted anything before, and I didn't know why it had taken me so long to realise.

As I came to this conclusion, the metallic taste disappeared, to be replaced entirely by the one I knew from before. It was sweet, and pure…and it filled my entire being to breaking point. I didn't even realise that my hands had travelled up to Emma's arms and were now sliding the sleeves of her robes down, until she blushed and pulled back from me, stammering: "Z-Zuko, Zhu is watching…"

"Oh…right…" I'd forgotten about that, and both of us instinctively looked at Zhu, who was pointedly staring out the window.

"I have momentarily gone blind and deaf, and have been unable to see or hear anything that you were doing." The Priestess said, although there was a small smile on her lips as she turned to face us. "I…Emma, what's that? !" She asked sharply, and I turned to look at Emma.

"What's what?" Emma and I asked in unison.

"What happened to your arm?" Zhu walked forward, and Yang-Chong fluttered onto my shoulder while Zhu placed a hand on the bandage around Emma's left shoulder. She closed her eyes, and her hand glowed gold momentarily. When it stopped, Zhu opened her eyes, and now they looked slightly alarmed. "This is…the mark of…"

"Ozai burned me." Emma said softly, and I again felt like I'd been punched in the stomach, although my own scar now seemed to tingle.

Zhu immediately began unwrapping the bandage, and it was Emma's turn to look panicked. "No, wait, don't!" She cried, but it was too late.

The bandage fluttered to the floor, and the three of us stared in silence at the perfect Fire Nation insignia now scarred onto Emma's arm.

I stared at it, unsure of what I was feeling right now.

"Emma…" I begin but, just then, we all hear a sound in the hallway – footsteps, and someone is approaching quickly.

Emma's eyes widened in alarm and, before I could stop her, she's run to the window and launched herself out of it.

At that moment, an attendant hurried into the room and said: "I can't find Princess Emma anywhere! I think she's run away again!" He then looked at me and Zhu. "Uh…is everything…okay, Sire? Priestess?"

That was a fair question.

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I found myself at the shrine where Azula had been telling her scary stories. I was a little bit nervous when I realised, but I figured that here was as safe a place as any, vengeful spirits or no vengeful spirits.

I immediately fell to my knees before the statue of Black Antian, and began silently praying to the spirits, to my ancestors, and to Zuko's ancestors too, for good measures.

I was praying for the strength to get through, to be able to do the things I needed to do.

I didn't know if my prayers were answered, but I felt the presence of multiple spirits throughout my prayers and then, somehow, it began to rain.

I opened my eyes quickly, stood up, and turned and ran.

_O~O~O~O_

_Ozai had said that I simply had to duel an Agni Kai against one of his children, to ensure the immunity and safety of Kai and the others. However, he had said that, if I _won_, then there would be something else and, upon returning to the Fire Nation, I had found out what that 'something else' was – Ozai was going to marry me. Yeah, right, like becoming his Phoenix Queen could _really_ be considered such a _prize_…_

_I had told all of this to Uncle Iroh, before relaying the details of my fight with Azula to him. When I'd gotten to the part about so nearly getting burned, and how I had saved myself, Uncle Iroh's eyes had widened and, in that instant, I'd realised how I'd _really_ saved myself…_

_I'd _cheated_. That was a big no-no, by Fire Nation rules and so, therefore, I hadn't really won! And, since I hadn't won, I was in no binding contract to have to marry Fire Lord Ozai!_

_I could safely walk free from him, knowing that I had no commitment!_

_Hooray for cheating! !_

_O~O~O~O_

I returned to my room, to find Yang-Chong waiting for me. Beside him on the desk was a roll of parchment and Zuko's dagger.

I picked up a quill first, and began to write on the paper in my scrawly, messy Kanji.

I proof-read both messages six times before I was satisfied, and then I picked up the dagger and faced myself in the mirror.

I took a deep breath and, feeling like Mulan, cut off most of my long, dark brown hair with a quick, decisive slice. It fell to the floor by my feet, and the rest of it now sat there looking suspiciously like Zuko's hairstyle.

I noticed this, and hastily pulled my hair into a top-knot, adding to the whole Mulan persona.

My hair had been one of the things that had been bothering me, ever since they had started making me wear it like Princess Ursa's. And now...no more...

I quickly packed a rucksack, with a spare robe, my golden fan and Zuko's dagger. I also picked up a water-skin, for practical use. I was wearing a pair of Fire Nation robes, but I hoped no one would mind.

I then removed my earrings and put on my old ones. I left the sunburst earrings on the desk next to the letter for Azula. Next to the letter for Ozai, I placed the golden wedding ring. It felt so much better to be free of it, and I barely gave it a backwards glance as I left the room for the final time.

Yang-Chong fluttered down onto my shoulder, his talons digging into the fabric on my burnt shoulder.

"We're making the right choice." I told the phoenix, and he crowed softly. "We'll come back one day, though..."

In the back of my mind, I was remembering what I had been told by a spirit, a few months ago.

_Had I only trusted what I did not understand, and realized that my love was near me the whole time, then he and I could have escaped together and lived a long and happy life together. Because I was shortsighted, I lost everything. I was cursed to walk through the Spirit Realm for all eternity, to guide others in love, which is like a flower. It is delicate and gentle, and must be nurtured and understood for it to blossom. Without your love, life is nothing. Without your mate, you are utterly alone. Trust the one you love, and not what your eyes can see…and, above all, tell your partner of your love. Do not leave without saying it first, as I did..._

I had hoped that Zuko and I would be able to leave together, but I knew now that he needed to confront his Father, over various things, least of all me. I, on the other hand, couldn't stay a moment longer but I knew, deep within my heart, that Zuko would understand this...

_O~O~O~O_

**Karai's P.O.V:**

_The Day Of..._

I woke up slowly, to the surroundings I was now more used to than anything. I had been living on the island for weeks now, and I was now fairly comfortable with my surroundings, although I was still worried about being discovered. Not for me, but for those around me.

I had been thrilled to be reunited with my Uncle Jee again, he had been like a Father to me when I needed one the most, and the rest of the crew – Daniu, Dao-Ming, Jin-Po and all the others – had supported me when I'd been in the most humiliating stage of my life. They hadn't judged me, and I'd been happy to see them all again. I'd also been happy to introduce them all to my new friends…the people I'd been imprisoned with. I'd been worried that Jin, Tai-Lung and Aiguo would judge me (and Ai), since they were from the Earth Kingdom. However, that had not been the case – Jin and I were on our way to becoming very good friends, and Aiguo was basically a good kid, even if he _was_ the world's biggest brat. His older brother, Tai-Lung, may have been over-protective, but I was starting to like him. After we'd come to this island, I'd also noticed Ai getting along well with Dao-Ming...hmm...

When I opened my crimson eyes, the first thing I saw was Emma, who had been sleeping next to me. She'd come to the island five hours ago, explaining to us her story and what was about to happen.

We'd been shocked, to say the least, but when we'd seen how tired she was, it had been obvious that she needed to rest.

What she had been through...I could well understand it...

Now, looking at her, with her new short hair falling across her face, I wondered if she was going to be okay. She'd risked everything for us, even though she'd said it was because it was her own fault that we got captured.

That girl has guilt issues...

As if sensing my gaze, Emma's eyelids fluttered, and she woke up. She looked across at me.

"What time is it?" She whispered.

"Almost time to get up." I whispered back to her, and watched a wave of nervousness sweep across her face. "Are you ready?"

She shook her head. "I'm starting to get cold feet."

"That's because you got wet last night." I replied, sitting up and looking around me at the small, make-shift room that had been set up for me in the cave on the island. The underground cave was how we had managed to avoid being found out, though Tai-Lung had formed a few sky-lights here and there with Earthbending. Because of this, I was clearly able to see the apprehension on Emma's face. "You'll be fine." I said, reasonably. "You're too strong to get yourself killed," She cringed slightly. "And, besides, you have Yang-Chong with you...where is he, anyway?" I asked, looking around the room. Emma's phoenix was not there.

"Oh, I hope he's not hunting Fire Ferrets again." She said worriedly, climbing out of bed, just as there was movement from the other side of the room, and then the sounds of soft crying. "Oh, someone's awake..." Emma said, smiling albeit a little nervously.

"Jet." I replied, matter-of-factly, as we walked over to the two cradles.

"How can you tell?" Emma wanted to know, standing back a little uncertainly as I reached into one of the cradles and withdrew my son, wrapped up in his yellow blanket and currently crying his eyes out.

"I just can." I replied, expertly cradling the red-eyed baby in my arms. "There, there, sweetie," I said softly, and watched as he opened his tear-filled crimson eyes at the sound of my voice. "Time to eat, huh?" He whimpered, and began fussing.

Emma watched me with a look of awe on her face, before asking: "Umm...how do you know he's hungry?"

"I can just tell," I replied. "Besides, Jet _always_ wakes up hungry. I'd better get him his bottle..." I peered into the other cradle, where Aima was just starting to wake up. Her little fingers clutched at her pink blanket, and I felt that same feeling in my heart that always seemed to come when I was around my children. "Can you stay with Aima until she's awake, and then bring her into the kitchen?" I asked Emma, and she looked, if possible, more scared about _that_ than the prospect of having to flee the Fire Nation as a fugitive.

"W-wait!" She stammered, as I headed towards the door. "What do I do? How do I hold her? !"

"You'll be fine." I assured her, walking down the stone hallway, and side-stepping as three little pink Fire Ferret babies rushed past me, followed by a golden bird. "Uh-oh..." I muttered, smirking slightly, as Aiguo ran after the hunt. This had been going on since last night, after all...

"Kai..." Emma called after me, sounding slightly panicked. "How do I pick her up?"

I sighed, as Jin came out of her room, and I had to ask her to help Emma. What was Emma going to do when she and Zuko had kids? She'd have to learn eventually...I guessed that this was how...

When Emma and Zuko had kids...my smirk grew. I should have known those two would fall in love...

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I stood facing my Father, who was seated on his throne in the bunker beneath the crater. When Azula had told everyone about a planned invasion, preparations had been made to fellow proper procedures, and that included my father being moved to a safe place. I imagined the look on the Avatar's face when he discovered that we'd been forewarned and it didn't give me any satisfaction, like it would have just a few weeks ago.

I myself had been preparing for this invasion, as I knew Emma had, after I had discovered her room empty, save for two letters written in her scrawly writing. One letter had been addressed to my father, and the other to my sister. I hadn't read them but, since I had written my own farewell letter to Mai, I knew how Emma felt. I'd also been a little bit confused to see her hair on the floor, until I realised that she must've felt like it tied her too much to the Fire Nation. She must've been adamant about breaking away.

So was I.

As I faced my Father, I felt a slight shift, and it seemed like all of my chi was being drained away...not, not taken, but..._blocked_.

The eclipse must have started.

I wondered where Emma was, and hoped that she would be okay. It had started raining last night and, since it hardly ever rained here, I'd taken it as an omen...but, whether it was good or bad, I knew not...

"Why are you here?" My Father asked me.

"I'm here to tell the truth." I replied.

"Telling the truth during the middle of an eclipse." My Father seemed sardonically amused. "This should be interesting." He gestured for the guards to leave, which they did.

Good.

"First of all," I began, my heart pounding but I knew my speech well. I had, basically, run it by my Mother's spirit last night, during prayer, so I knew it by heart. "In Ba Sing Se, it was Azula who took down the Avatar, not me."

"Why would she lie to me about that?" My Father wanted to know.

"Because the Avatar is not dead." I replied. "He survived."

My Father's reaction was predictable. "What? !"

"In fact," I went on. "He is probably leading this invasion. He could be on us right now." I added.

My Father stood up, and pointed angrily. "Get out! Get out of my sight right now if you know what's good for you!"

"That's another thing." I said, more calmly than I felt. "I'm not taking orders from you anymore." My hand flexed slightly by my side, ready to reach for my swords if I had to.

"You will obey me or this defiant breath will be your last!" My Father was seething with rage. I could well understand why – the Fire Lord is not used to being defied.

He began to walk towards me, but I swiftly unsheathed my dual Dao swords, and he stopped.

"Think again!" I threatened him. "I am going to speak my mind, and you are going to listen!"

I had to credit my Father. He sat down again, and allowed me to speak.

Hmm...if he thought the news about the Avatar was bad, he wasn't going to be happy about the _rest_ of my speech...

_O~O~O~O_

**Ozai's P.O.V:**

"For so long, all I wanted was you to love me, to accept me." My son said. "I thought it was my honour that I wanted but, really, I was just trying to please you." Why in Sozin's name was he telling me all this? "You, my Father, who banished me just for talking out of turn." Ah, so _that's_ what this was all about. "My Father, who challenged me – a thirteen year old boy, to an Agni Kai. How can you possibly justify a duel with a child?"

"It was to teach you respect." I responded. I should not have to explain myself to my own child, but I was already seriously considering disowning him. My pathetic disgrace for a so-called son...he was just like his Mother...

"It was cruel, and it was wrong!" Zuko snapped.

"Then you have learned nothing." I replied evenly.

"No, I've learnt everything!" Zuko told me. "And I had to learn it on my own. Growing up, we were taught that the Fire Nation was the greatest civilisation in history and, somehow, the war was our way of sharing out greatness with the rest of the world. What an amazing lie that was." He shook his head. "The people of the world are terrified by the Fire Nation! They don't see our greatness, they hate us! And we deserve it. We've created an era of fear in the world. And if we don't want the world to destroy itself, we need to replace it with an era of peace and kindness."

I had to laugh at that, allowing myself to mock my son. "Your Uncle has gotten to you, hasn't he?"

Zuko closed his eyes briefly. "Yes, he has...they _both_ have..." He smiled, and I frowned.

He was talking about Emma, I was sure of it. That speech was exactly the kind of thing she would have come up with...perhaps there was something my son had failed to tell me...

"After I leave here today," Zuko told me. "I'm going to free Uncle Iroh from his prison, and I'm going to beg for his forgiveness. He is the one who has been a real Father to me."

I chuckled, sarcasm dripping from my voice as I said: "That's just beautiful. Maybe he can pass down to you the ways of tea and failure."

"But," Zuko continued, ignoring me. "I've come to an even more important decision...I'm going to join the Avatar. And I'm going to help him defeat you."

"Really? Since you're a full blown traitor now and you want me gone, why wait? I'm powerless, you've got your swords, why don't you just do it now?" I knew that he wouldn't – my son was too much of a coward.

"Because I know my own destiny." Zuko replied. "Taking you down is the Avatar's destiny." He sheathed his swords. "Goodbye."

As he started to walk away from me, I rose, furious all of a sudden. "Coward!" I accused him. "You think you're brave enough to face me but you'll only do it during an eclipse! If you have any real courage, you'll stick around until the Sun comes out...don't you want to know what happened to your Mother?" I asked carefully, and watched in satisfaction as my son froze.

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

"What happened that night?" I asked, my voice on the point of shaking, as I turned around to face my father once again. The look on his face was pure venom.

"My Father, Fire Lord Azulon, had commanded me to do the unthinkable to you, my own son."

I remembered how Azula had said that Dad was going to kill me, and my insides turned to ice at the man's next words.

"And I was going to do it." My Father's eyes flashed dangerously. My heart thudded painfully. My Father had been going to kill me. My own Father...

He continued: "Your Mother had found out and swore she would protect you at any cost. She knew I wanted to throne and she proposed a plan. A plan in which I would become Fire Lord and your life would be spared. Your Mother did vicious, treasonous things that night."

I closed my eyes briefly, trying to picture it. What had Mother done? Had she killed Grandfather?

I suddenly wasn't so surprised by that thought...I remembered what she had told me about Mothers...tears stung my eyes...

"She knew the consequences," My Father said. "And she accepted them. For her treason...she was banished."

The tears flowed freely now.

My Mother was alive. Mother...she was still alive...I couldn't believe it...an overwhelming rush of emotions poured into my heart just then...

"While I admired Ursa's courage at the time," My father went on. "I now realise that she was too soft, just like you. Had I married someone stronger, I would have been a prouder Father of stronger, prouder sons. Ursa lacked the spark that was needed for that...I only know of one person who possesses it..."

The anger clawed its way to the surface, but I fought it back down as I said: "Emma doesn't love you – she'll never be yours. I know what you tried to do to her last night, and I won't forget that. She's left already – perhaps she's even found her way back to her friends and, if she has, then I know she'll help them to accept me."

"Why would she do that for you, Zuko?" My Father wanted to know, something akin to hatred flashing in his eyes. "And, why should it matter to you if I've chosen her, to bear the sons Ursa could never produce?"

"Because..." My hands shook slightly, as I looked down at the floor, and then back at my Father with determination. "I love her! And...she loves me!" My voice was shaking now, not with fear but with emotions. "I feel for her the way I've never felt for anyone before and, believe it or not, she's the one person in this world I want to protect! Even if it means protecting her from you, I won't ever let you lay a hand on her again! She's mine!" My voice echoed throughout the chamber.

I had been expecting my Father to attack me, so I was ready when he stepped forward and swung his arms out, generating two arcs of lightning that he shot straight at me.

I caught the lightning with the tips of my fingers, and slid back from the force of the attack. It was incredibly powerful. The blue lightning surrounded me, and ran through my body. I felt the exhilaration of the power, and didn't even have time to worry about messing it up and killing myself, as I channelled it through my body along chakra streams, and then I thrust my other hand forward, and redirected the lightning at my Father...

As I fled, my heart was beating with a million emotions.

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

Leaving my Father behind after the invasion plan failed, and the submarines were destroyed, was one of the hardest things I'd ever had to do. I remembered feeling like this once before, leaving to save myself, even though it meant certain danger for the parent I was leaving behind...

Why did I always have to make these decisions? !

As we flew away on Appa (us being Aang, Toph, my brother, Haru, The Duke, Teo, Momo and myself), I couldn't help but look back.

Dad was looking up at us, no expression on his face whatsoever, that is until his eyes widened with horror.

A fireball from one of the air balloons was launched, heading straight towards us!

We all cried out but, before we could do anything, a shape came flying out of nowhere. It appeared to be a Fire Nation girl with short hair, wearing red robes and...did she have golden wings? !

"_Not my friends, you monster_!" We heard her shout, in a musical-sounding voice, as she twisted in mid-air and then demolished the fireball with a sweep of her golden fan, which shattered the projectile.

Emma spun in mid-air, being carried by Yang-Chong, and then she landed neatly on Appa's saddle, next to Haru, who looked shocked.

"Hi." Emma said simply, smiling at us all, although she looked exhausted.

Toph was staring right at Emma, somehow, as were my brother and me, and then we launched ourselves at the golden-eyed girl, tackling her in a huge group hug, as tears ran down my face.

"We're so glad you're okay!" Sokka exclaimed.

"Good to see you again, Shiny!" Toph cried.

"I missed you so much!" I added.

Haru, Teo and The Duke looked shocked, and I remembered then that they didn't know Emma.

Aang was suddenly beside us, and he included himself in our group hug.

"I'm glad you're back." Aang had tears in his eyes.

So did Emma. "It's good to be back." She replied, as the tears spilled over. "Finally..."


	55. The Prince's Lullaby

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

The Prince's Lullaby

_The anger clawed its way to the surface, but I fought it back down as I said: "Emma doesn't love you – she'll never be yours. I know what you tried to do to her last night, and I won't forget that. She's left already – perhaps she's even found her way back to her friends and, if she has, then I know she'll help them to accept me."_

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

"This is humiliating." I said finally.

"Do you mean getting thoroughly spanked by the Fire Nation, or having to walk all the way to the Western Air Temple?" My brother asked me.

"Both." I replied.

"Sorry guys, but Appa gets tired carrying all these people." Aang said apologetically.

"What about me?" My brother complained, carefully readjusting the unconscious Emma on his back. "She's light enough, but I've been carrying her for...Toph, how long have we been walking for?"

"An hour and a half." Toph replied promptly.

"An hour and a half." Sokka sighed. "My arms are numb..."

"I can take her, if you want?" Haru offered.

"No, no, it's fine." Sokka replied. "I'll manage...somehow..." He muttered under his breath.

"Sokka, stop complaining," I told my brother. "Who knows what Emma's been through? Let's just be thankful that she's alive."

"Oh, I'm thankful, really." My brother told me. "I just wish she hadn't fainted and now I have to carry her..."

"I _can_ help out, you know." Haru muttered.

From his perch on Toph's left shoulder, Yang-Chong crowed angrily.

"Yes, you're right," The blind Earthbender agreed. "Sokka's a jerk."

"Hey, I'm being a gentleman by carrying her, aren't I?" My brother protested.

"Okay," Toph nodded. "You're a gentle jerk."

Haru laughed.

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

"Hello," I raised my arm in greeting. "Zuko here. But I guess..." I rubbed the back of my head nervously. "You probably already know me...sort of...uh, so, the thing is..." I lowered my arms and looked to the side, uncertainly. "I have a lot of Firebending experience and I'm..." I placed a hand on my chest with pride. "Considered to be pretty good at it." I remembered to keep on smiling. "Well, you've seen me...you know, when I was attacking you?" Wait, why did I say that? ! Damn! "Uh, yeah, I guess I should apologise for that...but, anyway," I waved my hand dismissively. "I'm good now...I mean, I thought I was good before, but now I realise I was bad..." Ugh, this was pretty uncomfortable. "But, anyway...I think it's time I joined your group, and taught the Avatar Firebending." I straightened up, trying to muster up all the sincerity I could.

I looked at the Badgerfrog. "Well, what's your answer?" I asked, frustrated.

It croaked, and then hopped onto my head before jumping away.

"Yeah, that's what I'd say too." I sighed. "How am I supposed to convince these people I'm on their side? What would Uncle do?"

I wished I'd had an opportunity to speak to him before leaving, but he'd escaped on his own before I'd gotten the chance.

I put on my best Iroh voice, and said: "Zuko, you have to look within yourself, to save yourself from your other self. Only then will your true self reveal itself." Wait, what the hell did that even mean? I dropped the act and said: "Even when I'm talking for him, I can't figure out what he means." I thought for a moment. "What would Azula do?" I raised the pitch of my voice. "Listen Avatar, I can join your group," I tried to sashay myself into a feminine posture. "Or I can do something unspeakably horrible to you and your friends." I sighed again, and sat down on a log, dropping the second act as well. "I guess I'm not that good at impersonations. I looked up at the blue sky beyond the trees, and said: "What would _Emma_ say...?" I closed my eyes. "She'd say..." I spoke in my normal voice, though. "Guys, please hear Zuko out. I understand that he's caused you pain and suffering in the past, but I'm asking you to give him a chance the way I did, because he's my friend and I trust him. Also, it's the way things are supposed to go." I crossed my arms and nodded my head. Yeah, that was it.

I opened my eyes again...okay, I was ready now...

_O~O~O~O_

**Sokka's P.O.V:**

Katara was trying to get Aang to talk about his Firebending, while Toph and I waited, and watched the Airbender fly around the huge upside structure that was the Western Air Temple (these Air Nomads must've been seriously _weird_ architects). Haru, Teo and The Duke were off somewhere, exploring the temple.

Emma was lying on a blanket next to a fountain, still resting although Katara had said that she was now asleep and not unconscious, which was good. Yang-Chong was elsewhere, on some weird adventure with Momo that seemed to involve chasing bugs.

Aang offered to show us all the giant Pai Sho table, in an attempt to put off talking about his Firebending.

"I think that'll have to wait." Toph said suddenly, and we all looked at her, confused.

She pointed to Appa, who moved aside.

Standing there was...

"Zuko." Aang, Katara and I all said in unison.

Zuko nodded, and raised his arm up in...greeting? "Hello. Zuko here."

What the hell?

_O~O~O~O_

It turned out that Zuko wanted to join us, and teach Aang Firebending! Needless to say, we didn't believe him for a minute, although Appa seemed to like him enough. Then again, Zuko probably just coated himself in honey or something tricky like that...it wouldn't surprise me one little bit!

Katara and I reminded him about how he'd attacked our village, and stolen Mum's necklace. When she got to the part about imprisoning Emma, Zuko's expression changed.

"Where is she?" He asked suddenly, sounding almost panicked. "Is she okay?" He suddenly looked past us, and spotted Emma's form lying by the fountain. He gasped. "What happened to her? !" He took a few steps forward.

"That's what _we'd_ like to know!" Katara stepped in front of Emma protectively, and I watched a spark of annoyance flash through Zuko's eyes. I gripped the handle of my boomerang, preparing to strike first if the Firebender decided to attack.

"Look," Zuko said, with the air of someone who is trying to stay calm. "I admit I've done some awful things. I was wrong," He lowered his head. "To try and capture you, and I'm sorry I attacked the Water Tribe and..." His face suddenly seemed slightly pale. "I'm sorry for putting Emma through all that she went through...has she told you anything?"

Katara shook her head. "She's fainted soon after finding us. She's emotionally and physically exhausted, and it's all _your_ fault!" My sister accused, and I nodded in agreement, although there was something familiar about the way Zuko was acting...something about the way he was looking past Katara, at Emma...

"I'm sorry," Zuko said again. "I never should have done all the things I did, like sending that Fire Nation assassin after you...I'm gonna try to stop him..."

Toph gasped, and I unsheathed my boomerang and held it out towards Zuko. "Wait, _you_ sent Combustion Man after us?"

Zuko looked panicked again. "Well, that's not his name, but..."

"Oh, _sorry_." I snapped, sarcastically. "I didn't mean to insult your friend!"

"He's not my friend!" Zuko protested.

"That guy," Toph was visibly angry. "Locked me and Katara in jail and tried to blow us all up!"

Zuko closed his eyes briefly, and then opened them again and looked at Aang. "Why aren't you saying anything? You once said you thought we could be friends."

Aang looked surprised. "How did you know that?"

Zuko's gaze returned to looking past Katara, and recognition dawned on Aang's face. "Wait...that girl in the white...that was Emma! Of course...the mask...but why...?" He looked at Zuko, somewhat suspiciously. "Why would she...?"

I didn't have a clue what they were talking about, and apparently neither did Katara and Toph, but Zuko seemed to know what Aang meant.

"Because she knows I have good in me." Zuko replied, a slight note of happiness creeping into his voice. "And...I know that you know it, too..."

Aang shook his head. "There's no way we can trust you after everything you've done. We'll never let you join us."

"But..." Zuko began, looking at Aang and then back at Emma. He took another step forwards, but Katara had finally had enough.

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"Anyway, when Zhao had me chained up, it was _Zuko_ who came in and got me. He risked his life to save me." I heard Aang's voice through the fog, and desperately tried to lift myself out of my sleep quickly. It wasn't working, though. I was _exhausted_.

"No way," I heard Katara say. "I'm sure he only did it so he could capture you himself."

"Yeah, face it, Aang. "Sokka said. "You're nothing but a big prize to him.

"You're probably right..." Aang said, though he sounded uncertain. "But...what about Emma? Zuko said that Emma saw the good in him, and...she was there with him when he got me out of there..."

"_She_ was obviously saving you for all the right reasons." Katara said. "You know what Zuko said about setting Appa free? That was probably Emma's doing, not his...you know she's got such a big heart..." Her voice softened slightly.

"Actually," Toph spoke up then. "Zuko was telling the truth..."

"Oh, hooray." Katara said sarcastically. "In a lifetime of evil," I frowned at this. "At least he didn't add animal cruelty to the list."

"I'm just saying," Toph replied. "That considering his messed up family, and how he was raised, he could've turned out a lot worse."

Yes, yes that was _so _true! Good on ya, Toph!

"You're right," Katara snapped. "Toph, let's go find him and give him a medal! The 'not as much of a jerk as you could have been' award!"

Okay, _now_ she was starting to annoy me, which wasn't good, because Katara and I had always gotten along so well.

Toph reminded them all that Aang needed a Firebending teacher but, when they still wouldn't accept Zuko into the group, she stormed off angrily.

I sighed, and opened my eyes, sitting up and looking around me at the temple.

Katara, Aang and Sokka all had their backs towards me, and appeared to be quietly fuming.

"G-guys?" I ventured, and they all turned around, their expressions instantly changing to warmth and relief.

"Emma, you're awake!" Katara rushed over to me. "How are you feeling? Better?" She put a hand to my forehead, the way a Mother would.

I nodded. "I think so...what's going on though?"

"We're at the Western Air Temple," Sokka explained, sitting on the ledge of the fountain beside me. I looked up at him. He'd gotten so much taller! "Haru, Teo and The Duke are here...you know them or...not?"

"I know _of_ them," I replied, looking around again. "Where's Yang-Chong?"

"Off exploring the temple with Momo," Katara told me. "So are Haru and the others...Toph's gone off on her own..." Her eyes turned slightly stormy.

"Uh-oh..." I muttered under my breath. "What happened?"

"Zuko was here." Katara said acidly.

I gasped, despite myself. "What? !"

Katara nodded, misreading my reaction as she said: "Yeah, he actually wanted to _join_ our group, and teach Aang Firebending! Can you believe it?" She shook her head in disbelief.

"Umm...actually, I can..." I said softly, and then looked at Aang. "You said no?"

"I had no other choice." Aang replied. "It's too much of a risk..." He was looking at me strangely though, and then an idea seemed to form in his mind. "Wait, Emma, _you_ can teach me Firebending!"

"_What_? !" I all but shrieked, much to everyone's surprise. "What makes you say that? !"

"I saw you take care of that fireball yesterday!" Aang said enthusiastically. "You learned Firebending, didn't you? !"

"Y-yeah," I nodded, and then sighed. "But, Aang, I _can't_ teach you."

"Why not?" Aang wanted to know.

"Because I'm not supposed to be your teacher and...quite honestly..." I drew my knees up to my chest, and hid my face, because tears had just started to form in my eyes. "I'm scared of it now...I wish I'd never learnt it..."

Katara made a small, sympathetic noise, and put a comforting arm around my shoulders.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" Sokka asked gently.

I shook my head. "No..."

_O~O~O~O_

The next morning, Katara handed out rice for breakfast, but seemed concerned when she realised that Toph was still missing.

I was sitting in between Haru and Sokka, expertly handling my chopsticks and trying not to think about what would happen when Toph got back.

I knew what it was like to be burned and, thinking about it, I shivered.

"Are you okay?" Haru asked me.

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay...are you guys gonna go and look for Toph?" I asked him and the other two Earth Kingdom boys.

They nodded.

"Do you want to come with us?" The Duke asked in a friendly way.

I nodded. "You know what, I think I do." I stood up. "Lead the way."

_O~O~O~O_

"This place is incredible." I said, marvelling at all of the architecture. "It's like the Air Nomads managed to, somehow, put all of the beauty of Airbending into the earth..."

"Yeah, that's one way of putting it." Haru agreed, as we walked down a long corridor (well, Teo rolled, but whatever). "Even though they're not Earthbenders, they seemed to appreciate it as much..."

"I'll say." I nodded, and stopped by a wall with an imprint of a hand. "Hey, look at this..." I said, regarding the words on the wall with interest. "Courtyard Of Promises...I wonder what that means...?" I put my hand into the imprint, and was surprised when it fit right there. "What could it be...AURGH! !" I screamed suddenly, when a chute opened in the floor and I fell in.

"Emma!" Haru, The Duke and Teo all shouted, as the chute closed above me.

I was enveloped in complete blackness, as I slid down a tunnel – why did this sort of thing happen only to me? !

Suddenly, I slid out into the open, into the most beautiful place I had ever seen.

I couldn't even say anything as I stood up and looked around.

It was a large chamber with an open roof, and I could see the clear blue sky high above me. There were beautiful trees and flowers lining the circular courtyard, surrounding a donut-shaped pond that had four channels leading out of it. In the centre of the moat, past white-stone stepping stones, was a round dais, and it seemed to be the focal point of this garden.

I was staring at it, when I suddenly heard a loud explosion, and remembered what was happening.

"Oh no!" I cried, just as Yang-Chong appeared over the rim of the crater, and flew down towards me with a magical cry.

I grabbed onto one of his talons, and allowed him to pull me into the sky...

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

"I can't believe I'm saying this...but thanks, Zuko." The Avatar said.

"Hey, and what about me?" Sokka wanted to know. "I did the boomerang thing..."

Yes, the battle was over – I had saved them from the man they called Combustion Man – the assassin was now dead, thankfully.

Perhaps now they would accept me...

Then again, judging from the look on Katara's face, maybe they _wouldn't_...

"Not another step!" The Waterbender warned, drawing some water up from a fountain and, as I took another step forwards, she directed it at me.

"_No_!" I heard somebody shout and, suddenly, Emma was between me and the water, directing it out of the way and over the side of the cliff. She was breathing heavily, as she held her arms out on either side of her and said: "Katara...everyone...wait!"

My heart thudded painfully in my chest just then, after not having any contact with her for a few days.

Just then, she wavered, and stumbled back. I caught her against my chest, putting my arms around her carefully, protectively.

She looked up at me, her expression tired but relieved. "Are you okay?" She asked me.

I nodded. "I am now."

"What's going on here?" Katara wanted to know, sounding stunned.

"If you wait just a minute, he'll tell you," Emma assured her friend. "Guys, please hear Zuko out. I understand that he's caused you pain and suffering in the past, but I'm asking you to give him a chance the way I did, because he's my friend and I trust him. Also, it's the way things are supposed to go." She nodded firmly.

It was like some form of strange, karmic coincidence...or, maybe Emma and I were just thinking along the same wavelengths after all this time...it was nice.

Katara crossed her arms, looking suspicious but a little less likely to attack. "Okay, I'm listening."

Having Emma held against my chest seemed to give me strength.

I said: "I know I didn't explain myself very well yesterday. I've been through a lot in the past few years, and it's been hard. But, I'm realising that I had to go through all those things to learn the truth. I thought I had lost my honour, and that somehow my Father could return it to me." I felt Emma tense up at the mention of my Father, and ran my hand up and down her left shoulder, reassuringly. "But, I know now that no one can give you your honour. It's something you earn for yourself, by choosing to do what's right. All I want now is to play my part in ending this war. And I know my destiny is to help you restore balance to the world." I looked over at Toph. "I'm sorry for what I did to you...it was an accident. Fire can be dangerous and wild. So, as a Firebender, I need to be more careful and control my bending so I don't hurt people unintentionally."

The Avatar seemed to warm up to me then, and told me how he had accidentally burned Katara the first time he'd Firebended.

He wanted me to be his teacher.

Emma moved to the side then, allowing me to bow to the Avatar...to Aang.

When asked for her opinion, Toph said: "Go ahead and let him join. It'll give me plenty of time to get back at him for burning my feet."

Emma and I smiled.

Sokka's input was: "Hey, all I want is to defeat the Fire Lord. If you think this is the way to do it, then I'm all for it."

Emma's smile grew then, as Yang-Chong landed on my shoulder and crowed softly.

"You already know my answer." Emma said, when Aang looked at her. He nodded, and then glanced at Katara.

Aang had saved the Waterbender for last, knowing that her input would likely be the most critical.

She said: "I still don't know what's going on between you two," She looked from me to Emma, and then back at Aang. "But, I'll go along with whatever _you_ think is right."

Emma nodded. "Thank you, Katara."

_O~O~O~O_

Later that evening, I was sitting with Emma in my temporary room. We had finished catching up on everything that had been happening, and now I was singing for her a lullaby my Mother had once sung for me, in light of finding out that my Mother was now still alive.

When I finished, Emma smiled up at me – she was sitting with her head resting against my shoulder. "I'm so glad Princess Ursa's still alive...I want to meet her in person, not just spirit..."

"She gave you that mask, didn't she?" I asked her, and she nodded.

"Yes...she did...are you okay?" She asked me suddenly, reaching up a hand to touch the left side of my face. "I'm sorry about Katara..."

"Don't be." I shook my head. "We'll work it out...somehow..."

"Hmm..." Emma mused, and then she started singing.

"_Well I know the feeling  
>Of finding yourself stuck out on the ledge<br>And there ain't no healing  
>From cutting yourself with the jagged edge<em>

_I'm telling you that  
>Its never that bad<br>Take it from someone whose been where you're at  
>Laid out on the floor<br>And your not sure  
>You can take this anymore<em>

_So just give it one more try  
>To a lullaby<br>And turn this up on the radio  
>If you can hear me now<br>I'm reaching out  
>To let you know that you're not alone<br>And you can't tell  
>I'm scared as hell<br>Cause I can't get you on the telephone  
>So just close your eyes<br>Well honey here comes a lullaby  
>Your very own lullaby<em>

_Please let me take you  
>Out of the darkness and into the light<br>Cause I have faith in you  
>That you're gonna make it through another night<br>Stop thinking about  
>The easy way out<br>There's no need to go and blow the candle out  
>Because you're not done<br>You're far too young  
>And the best is yet to come<br>So just give it one more try  
>To a lullaby<br>And turn this up on the radio  
>If you can hear me now<br>I'm reaching out  
>To let you know that you're not alone<br>And you can't tell  
>I'm scared as hell<br>Cause I can't get you on the telephone  
>So just close your eyes<br>Well honey here comes a lullaby  
>Your very own lullaby<em>

_Well everybody's hit the bottom  
>And everybody's been forgotten<br>When everybody's tired of being alone  
>Yeah everybody's been abandoned<br>And left a little empty handed  
>So if you're out there barely hanging on<em>

_Just give it one more try  
>To a lullaby<br>And turn this up on the radio  
>If you can hear me now<br>I'm reaching out  
>To let you know that you're not alone<br>And you can't tell  
>I'm scared as hell<br>Cause I can't get you on the telephone  
>So just close your eyes<br>Well honey here comes a lullaby  
>Your very own lullaby<em>

_Well honey here comes a lullaby  
>Your very own lullaby<em>..."

_O~O~O~O_

Later on, when Emma had fallen asleep with her head against my shoulder, Katara came into the room.

"You might have everyone else buying your _transformation_," She said viciously. "But you and I both know you've struggled with doing the right thing in the past! So, let me tell you something, right now! You make one step backward, one slip-up, give me _one_ reason to think you might hurt Aang _or_ Emma," Her eyes flashed with unmasked fury. "And you won't have to worry about your destiny anymore. Because I'll make sure your destiny ends right then and there..._permanently_."


	56. Eternal Flame

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX

Eternal Flame

_"I'm sorry for what I did to you...it was an accident. Fire can be dangerous and wild. So, as a Firebender, I need to be more careful and control my bending so I don't hurt people unintentionally."_

_The Avatar seemed to warm up to me then, and told me how he had accidentally burned Katara the first time he'd Firebended._

_He wanted me to be his teacher._

_Emma moved to the side then, allowing me to bow to the Avatar...to Aang._

_O~O~O~O_

**No One's P.O.V:**

_Azula,_

_These earrings belonged to your Great Grandmother, Ta-Min. She was a Priestess, like you and I, and she would have wanted you to have them. I don't think of you as a monster, and neither does your Mother – you are a strong and beautiful young woman, and it is time you looked to your past, to determine your future._

_Emma._

_O~O~O~O_

_O~O~O~O_

_Ozai,_

_By the time you read this, I will hopefully be long gone. I just want you to know that I cheated during my Agni Kai with Azula, and she would have won had I not. Therefore, I see no reason why I should have to marry you, since I didn't actually win. I actually pity you and your upbringing, the values placed on you. That is why the Avatar must stop you._

_Emma._

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I awoke the next day to find myself alone, and panicked for only half a second before I realised that Zuko must be out somewhere meditating. He's a Firebender, after all. They rise with the sun. Or, maybe he was training Aang already. I was surprised – had they been meant to start it straight away? Probably…

I was also surprised to find myself lying down on the bed – hadn't I fallen asleep with my head on Zuko's shoulder?

I realised then and there that I must've spent the night lying next to him…and the thought made me extremely nervous. It wasn't that I was going to deny that we had a relationship now, but I had never _been_ in one before, and this kind of closeness was very new (and a little bit terrifying) to me. Then again, we weren't under Ozai's rule anymore, so technically there was nothing stopping us from having a more intimate relationship.

Did I _want_ a more intimate relationship with Prince Zuko?

Yes!

However…there were a few _other_ things stopping us from having one, so I realised that I might have to wait until summer's end for that to happen.

I bit my lip. Would I get a chance to do that?

_O~O~O~O_

I found Zuko and Aang where I'd expected them to be. I stood around the corner, watching the lesson unfold. Though Aang had his back to me, Zuko could see me. His golden eyes lit up for the briefest of moments, before returning to the lesson.

"I know you're nervous," The Fire Prince told the Avatar. "But remember…Firebending in and of itself is _not_ something to fear."

I rolled my eyes. It was pretty safe to say that I did _not_ believe that, even for a second, but that was just because of my own tutelage.

"Okay…" Aang sighed. "Not something to fear…" He sounded about as believing as I felt.

"But if you don't respect it," Zuko went on, crossing his arms firmly. "It'll chew you up and spit you out like an angry Komodo Rhino!"

Aang gave a yelp of fear, and I shook my head.

Zuko eyed me for a moment, before saying: "Now, show me what you've got. Any amount of fire you can make."

Aang's attempt at Firebending was…a little less than stellar. In fact, it wasn't Firebending at all. Maybe _Smoke_bending…?

Aang suggested that Zuko show him a thing or two, and Zuko agreed. Aang took a few steps back, but I just closed my eyes, not wishing to see Zuko's failed attempt at Firebending. _I_ already knew what was wrong, but I didn't want to say anything.

When I opened my eyes, Aang was applauding politely, as Zuko wondered what was going on. He tried to Firebend again and, each time he did, the same thing happened. As Aang suggested that maybe it was the altitude, I crept away silently. This was something the two of them needed to work out by themselves, but I _really_ wished I could go to theSunTemple with them…

_O~O~O~O_

After spending the day exploring the temple with Katara, Haru and Toph, I went looking for Zuko that evening. I found him having a complete and total temper-tantrum/meltdown.

"_Why is this happening_? !" He shouted, punching his fist into a stone wall of the temple.

"Whoa, Zuko!" I cried, rushing forwards and catching his arm before he could do it again. "Zuko, please, calm down!" I ordered him.

"I _can't_ calm down!" Zuko responded, looking at me with angry, upset, and troubled eyes. "Emma, you _saw_ what happened today!"

I nodded. "Yes, but don't knock down theWesternAirTempleif you don't mind." I put my hand up to his face. His skin felt unusually cold.

Zuko took a few deep breaths, and then said: "I couldn't even bend my fire properly. How am I supposed to teach the Avatar Firebending if I can't even do it myself anymore?"

"You'll find a way," I promised him, examining his knuckles. I winced at the grazes on them, and pressed them to my lips. "I promise."

"I just don't…_feel_ it, anymore." Zuko told me.

I nodded. "I understand, but I promise you it'll all work out. Just trust me on that one, okay?"

"How do I know you're not just saying that to make me feel better?" Zuko wanted to know, although he _did_ look a little bit better.

I raised an eyebrow. "Zuko, remember who you're talking to. I see all, and I _know_ all. Nothing gets past me."

Zuko smiled slightly. "I'm glad we're on the same side now, then."

"We've always been on the same side. And, we always _will_ be…" I replied, as he leaned down towards me, and my heart began to flutter.

Just then, we heard Katara's voice floating through the halls of the temple. "Emma, where are you? Dinner's ready!"

"Okay, I'm coming, Katara!" I called back, and my voice echoed. _Ara-ara-ara…_

"Are you with _him_? !" She wanted to know. "That's okay! Tell _him_ that he's welcome to join us, as long as _he_ doesn't sit _with_ us!"

Zuko and I looked at each other, and sighed.

_O~O~O~O_

As we (minus _him_) sat around the campfire, and Appa ate his hay and Yang-Chong waited for his bird seed to roast in the fire, I accepted the bowl of jook that was handed to me, and smiled at Katara.

"You'll have to teach me how to make this." I told her.

"I will." She promised, and then looked past me. Her expression turned unwelcoming, and I looked over my shoulder to see Zuko walking towards us.

"Listen everybody," Zuko said, sounding like it had taken all of his courage to approach our group. "I've got some pretty bad news." He lowered his head. "I've lost my stuff."

Toph raised both her arms to prove her innocence. "Don't look at me. I didn't touch your stuff." She crossed her arms.

I sighed. "He _means_ his Firebending." I looked over at Zuko, sympathetically.

He nodded. "It's gone."

Katara laughed sarcastically then, and we all looked at her. Zuko looked annoyed, and I tried not to let my annoyance show on my face.

"I'm sorry." Katara said, not sounding sorry at all. "I'm just laughing at the irony. You know…how nice it would have been for us if you'd lost your Firebending a long time ago." On her shoulder, Momo was cleaning himself, completely oblivious to the situation at hand.

I gave her a Look, one that I intended to mean 'stop it'. She either ignored it or didn't see it.

"Well, it's not lost." Zuko told her. "It's just…weaker, for some reason." He cast me an unhappy look.

Katara glared at Zuko from behind her bowl, and said: 'Maybe you're just not as _good_ as you think you are."

"Ouch." Toph said, the Avatar World equivalent of saying 'burn', I guess.

"Stop it." I said, sounding like a tired out Mother.

Zuko glanced at me again, and then off to the side, before saying: "I bet it's because I changed sides!"

"That's ridiculous." Katara responded, and tipped the bowl up to her lips.

"I dunno." Aang said. "Maybe it _isn't_…maybe your Firebending comes from rage, and you just don't have enough anger to fuel it the way you used to."

Sokka thought he had the answer. "So, all we need to do is make Zuko angry…easy enough!" He began poking Zuko with the hilt of his sword, until the Prince told him to stop it.

Zuko told us he didn't want to rely on hate and anger anymore. He said that there had to be another way.

"I know my Earthbending gets stronger when I think about my Father," Haru spoke up. "It helps me to feel that connection…but, I guess you can't think of _your_ Bending that way…" He realised.

"No." Zuko agreed.

"Oh, boo-hoo." Katara rolled her eyes.

I sighed. "Haru has the right idea, though. I know _my_ Bending gets stronger when I feel a close connection withcertain people. Let'skeep thinking positive, everyone."

Toph's advice to Zuko was to try and draw his Firebending from a different source – like, the _original_ source.

Sokka wanted to know if it was by jumping into a volcano. Toph said it wasn't, that she meant by going back to whatever the original source of Firebending was. Sokka still wanted to know if it was jumping into a volcano.

At this stage Toph said she didn't know, but for her, she'd learned her Earthbending from the Badger Moles.

Remembering the time I'd first found out I was an Earthbender, I could easily picture a little Toph in her fancy gown, kneeling in a dark cave and sobbing.

"One day when I was little," Toph told us. "I ran away and hid in a cave. "That's where I met them. They were blind, just like me. So, we understood each other. I was able to learn Earthbending not just as a martial art, but as an extension of my senses. From them, the original Earthbenders. It wasn't just about fighting…it was their way of interacting with the world…_my_ way." Toph smiled.

"That's amazing, Toph." Aang told her.

"What's amazing is that she was actually _crying_ in that flashback." I said suddenly, which earned me a death glare from the blind girl. "Anyway, Aang, so you learned from the monks, but the _original_ Airbenders were the Sky Bisons, right?"

Aang nodded. "Yeah…hey," He looked over at Appa. "Maybe you can give me a lesson sometime, buddy?" Appa growled in acknowledgement.

Katara spoke up then and, for the first time in a long time, she didn't have something sarcastic to say. "The ancient people of my tribes learned Waterbending from the Moon, by watching how it pushed and pulled the tides…" She sounded a little wistful.

"Yeah," Sokka agreed. "They'll be learning from Yue from now on."

Both siblings were staring off into space, looking faintly reminiscent.

Zuko cleared his throat. "Well, this doesn't help me. The original Firebenders were Dragons, and they're extinct."

"What do you mean?" Aang was confused. "Roku had a Dragon, and there were plenty of Dragons when I was a kid."

"Well, they aren't around anymore, okay? !" Zuko snapped, defensively.

"Calm down." I said automatically. I got up to stand beside him. Katara visibly attempted to ignore this. "Perhaps there's another way?"

Zuko relaxed slightly. "Perhaps there is. The first people to learn from the Dragons were the ancient Sun Warriors." We walked towards the ledge overlooking the fountain, and Aang joined us.

"Sun Warriors?" He repeated. "Well, I know _they_ weren't around when I was a kid."

"No," Zuko agreed. "They died off thousands of years ago, but their civilisation wasn't too far from where we are now. Maybe we can learn something by poking around the ruins."

"It's like the monks used to tell me." Aang said. "Sometimes, the shadows of the past can be felt by the present."

"So, what?" Sokka had snapped out of his Yue-daze. We looked at him. "Maybe you'll pick up some super old Sun Warrior energy just by standing where they stood one thousand years ago?"

_Why does he always have to say things like that?_ I wondered, but then realised that it must be his way of dealing with certain situations.

Zuko nodded. "More or less. Either I find a new way to Firebend, or the Avatar has to find a new teacher."

Aang looked extremely worried after that, that is until Katara, who had also snapped back to reality, spoke up again.

"You're all acting like _he_," She said, poking her chopsticks at a piece of fish (she looked more like she wanted to kill it). "Is the _only_ one who can teach Aang Firebending. But, he's not." She looked directly at me, and I instinctively began backing away. "_Emma_ can." She pointed her chopsticks at me.

"No, no I can't." I said. "We've been through this before."

"What's the matter?" Aang asked me, as I shook my head. "Why won't you teach me? Is it because of the story-line?" He sounded a little hesitant to ask, and I started to nod, but then shook my head. "What, then?"

"I…you see…" I whispered.

"Louder!" Sokka called.

"Finish your jook!" Zuko and I said in unison.

"Okay." Sokka complied.

Zuko caught me by the elbow. "Emma, it's okay." He whispered to me. "Are you going to tell them?" I shook my head. "Well, then…do you want _me_ to tell them?" I nodded. "Fine then." Zuko said firmly.

"What are you two whispering about?" Katara wanted to know.

Zuko looked up then and, keeping a hand on my arm, said: "The reason Emma can't – _won't_ – teach the Avatar – _Aang_ – Firebending, has nothing to do with loyalty or is because she learnt it from my Father."

Everyone looked, understandably, stunned, although Katara also looked a little bit suspicious, and I noted, with regret, that her suspicion seemed to be aimed mainly at the Fire Prince.

"Emma," Katara wanted to know. "What happened when you were held captive in the Fire Nation?" She was glaring daggers at Prince Zuko.

"Umm…" I hedged, glancing at her and then at the others, who were leaning in. Was it just me, or did they all seem to have much larger ears than I'd first thought?

Katara nodded. "Tomorrow, we'll talk." She said, and glanced at Aang. "While Aang goes with _him_," She turned her gaze (glare) onto Zuko. "To theSunTemple."

"Katara…" I began, noticing the hurt look in Zuko's eyes that anyone who didn't know him well enough would've missed.

At that moment, Yang-Chong's bird seeds got too hot, and all of them exploded into popcorn. We all screamed and ducked for cover as the puffy white kernels went flying everywhere…

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

The next day, Aang and his so-called _teacher_ set out early for theSunTemple, leaving the rest of us to do our own thing. For Emma and I, it was a chance to catch up.

She was wearing her Fire Nation robes, which was a little disconcerting for me, but I let it go and instead just got right to the point.

She was hesitant to tell me, at first, but pretty soon the whole story just came tumbling out. Well, almost all of it.

She told me about what had happened when she'd been captured in the desert, about the circus, and about having to escape from the man she had been bought by. She wouldn't tell me _how_ she'd escaped, though…

She told me about being taken to the Fire Nation and how, because she was a Priestess, the Fire Lord had welcomed her as a guest. There was something she wasn't telling me about that, though…

She told me how she'd broken some friends of hers out of prison, and how the Fire Lord had found out and ordered her to a duel an Agni Kai against Azula, in exchange for the lives of her friends and one of their's newborn twins. She didn't mention the Agni Kai again after that, though…

She told me about learning Firebending from Ozai, and how scared it had made her, but that she and Zuko had both had a history lesson from unexpected sources that had helped them to see clearly. She wouldn't tell me what, though…

She was just starting to tell me about the newborn twins, Jet-Lee and Aima-Jee, and also more about that girl Mai's baby brother Tom-Tom, when both of us suddenly froze.

A woman was walking towards us.

She was obviously Fire Nation, and that put me on edge immediately.

Emma, however, seemed relatively calm, as she whispered to me: "Can you see that lady, Katara?"

I nodded. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be able to?" I whispered back.

"She's a spirit, Katara." Emma replied calmly, not taking her eyes off of the grey form. "She's not alive."

"Oh…" I suddenly felt cold.

"Priestess Of Wudang," The spirit addressed Emma. Her voice sounded faraway. "Why are you here?"

"What do you mean?" Emma asked, like it was the most normal thing in the world to be talking to a dead person. "Where else should I be?"

"At theSunTemple," The spirit sounded firm. "Where else?"

"Why would I want to be there?" Emma tilted her head to the left. "This is Zuko and Aang's field trip, not mine."

Field trip?

The spirit shook her head. "You need to be there too, young Priestess. Go…" She urged, before vanishing into a cloud of silver smoke.

Emma and I looked at each other.

"Emma…" I ventured. "Umm…what just happened?"

She shrugged. "I dunno…but, the spirits know better than we do, so I should just go…"

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

The Sun Warriors looked at us. We looked at the Sun Warriors.

Nobody said a word as the Anteater-Gazelles licked Aang and I clean of all of the sticky, dark green goo that had covered us because of the booby-trapped egg.

To think that there were still people living her, at the supposedly _abandoned_SunWarriorsTemple…if they didn't want to kill us, then this would be even better!

But, then, the Chief said that we would have a chance to prove ourselves, to the Masters Ran and Shao. They would read our hearts, our souls, and our ancestry (I cringed at this last part). If they deemed us worthy, then they would teach us.

If not, we'd die.

Aang and I spent the remainder of the night out under the stars.

As morning approached, I looked over the Avatar and realised that, like me, he hadn't slept a wink. I understood how he felt. I would have given anything for a voice of reason right about now…

"_Zuko_!"

I sat up fast, and looked all around me. Next to me, Aang had also risen. "Was that Emma?" He wanted to know, also looking everywhere.

"_Up here_!"

On instinct, we both looked up.

We both saw Yang-Chong carrying Emma towards us, his talons holding onto the back of her robes. When they were directly over me, Yang-Chong let go.

Emma fell, and landed on top of me, her lips coming into contact with mine in a forceful, almost commanding kind of way. I don't know who was more surprised, her or me. Or Aang – he was staring at us with eyes the size of dinner plates.

Emma drew back from me, looking both shocked and embarrassed.

"What are you doing here?" I whispered to her.

"A Fire Nation spirit told me to come here." She whispered back.

"Why?" I wanted to know.

"I dunno." She replied. "Maybe I'm supposed to help you somehow, Zuko…"

"Uh, I'm here as well, you know?" Aang spoke up.

Yang-Chong landed on his head.

A Sun Warrior named Ham Gao chose that moment to make an appearance. "Ahem," He cleared his throat. "Your destiny awaits."

_O~O~O~O_

The Sun Warrior Chief told us that, in order to see the Masters, Aang and I would have to carry a piece of the eternal flame to them (this flame had been kept going by Man for thousands of years). It was to show our commitment to the sacred art of Firebending.

Aang was unsure. He wanted to know if it would be alright if I carried his flame for him.

The Sun Warrior Chief said no. He handed us our flames.

I handled mine expertly.

Aang wouldn't even take his.

"Oh…" Aang looked at Emma. "Wellll…then, can _Emma_ carry it for me?" He looked hopeful.

The Sun Warrior Chief again said no.

Aang looked downcast.

The Sun Chief Warrior basically told us that if the flame was too small, that it would go out. He also said that if it was too big, then it ran the risk of getting out of control.

Me? I was fine.

Aang? He was petrified.

I don't think it was the heat from the Eternal Flame that was making him sweat.

He said that he was just a little nervous. _That_ was an understatement.

"Aang," Emma came up beside him then, and locked gazes with the Sun Warrior Chief. He nodded, and she reached out her hands and took the flame, cradling it in her cupped palms for a second before separating it into two, and depositing one into Aang's hands. "It's okay. I'll walk with you."

Aang was staring at his flame with awe. "It's like a little heart beat." He said.

"Fire is life, not destruction." The Sun Warrior Chief reminded us. 'You will take your flames up there." He pointed.

"There?" I guessed, looking at the small hill.

"Further to the right." The Chief motioned with his hands.

"Oh my God…" Emma looked nervously at the taller hill. I could see that her hands were shaking.

"Just a _little_ further to the right." The Chief replied.

"Aurgh!" Aang cried, seeing the tall hill with the two distinct pointy peaks.

"The cave of the masters is beneath that rock." The Sun Chief Warrior told us.

Aang, Emma and I gazed at the challenge ahead of us, silently…

_O~O~O~O_

"Hurry up." I said for the hundredth time, as I reached the top of the incline and turned to see that both Emma and Aang were lagging.

"I can't." They said in unison.

"If I go too fast, my flame will go out." Aang said, sounding reasonable yet nervous.

"Uh, technically, it doesn't matter if mine does or doesn't, but I don't like walking." Emma added.

"Then why didn't you just get Yang-Chong to carry you?" I asked her.

"What am I, the zoo keeper?" She blinked. "I don't know where he _is_…"

I sighed, and then addressed Aang. "And you, your flame's gonna go out because it's too small. You're too timid. Give it more juice."

"But what if I can't control it?" Aang wanted to know.

"You can do it." I responded sincerely. "I know you can. You're a talented kid."

Aang smiled.

"What about me?" Emma asked hopefully.

"_You_ need to top being such a mouse." I responded. "Stop acting like the flame's gonna jump out and bite you."

She glanced down at her scarred wrist. "Yeah, easy for you to say…" She muttered.

"Come on," Aang sounded slightly more optimistic. "Let's get moving, keep marching you two!"

"I hate these packaged tours…" Emma complained.

_O~O~O~O_

It was dusk by the time we reached the peak, and the Sun Warriors were all there waiting for us. We were standing at the face of a U-Shaped rock with a bridge in the centre.

The Sun Warrior Chief walked towards us. "Facing the judgement of the Firebending Masters will be very dangerous for you. Your ancestors," He looked at me. "Are directly responsible for the Dragons' disappearance. The masters might not be so happy to see you."

Ham Gao said: "I know _I_ wouldn't be."

"But once they find out I'm the Avatar…" Aang began, but the Sun Warrior Chief cut him off.

"Have you forgotten that you vanished, allowing the Fire Nation to wreak havoc on the world?" He said harshly. "The decline of the Dragons is your burden too." Aang hung his head in shame, mirroring me. The Sun Warrior Chief glanced at Emma. "I don't know who you are. You will be allowed to stay, as you have maintained your flame well, but, since you do not have to face the Masters, then you do not have anything to worry about." He assured her.

"Are you kidding me?" She asked in disbelief. "You've just told me there's a chance my best friend and my boyfriend might get _vaporized_ on the spot. Of course I'm _worried_!"

Boyfriend?

I kind of liked the sound of _that_…

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

As I watched Zuko and Aang ascend the stairs to face the Masters, I wondered why I had said what I'd just said. I'd just called Zuko my _boyfriend_ – I'd never admitted that to anyone before, not even to myself!

The flame in my hands seemed to grow hotter then, and I let out a small whimper, immediately reminded of Firebending with Ozai. I hadn't done it since then.

"Are you alright?" A female Sun Warrior asked me. I nodded. "Then move. I need to stand there." She ordered me.

I quickly stepped aside, and allowed her to take up her position. I noticed a silvery figure standing next to her, but didn't say anything.

I found myself standing in the centre of the circle, cradling my slightly pulsating flame. I glanced down at it, unable to keep the tears out of my eyes. I was trying to will myself not to be scared of it, but it was so _hard_! This was the element that had burned me before, that reminded me of Fire Lord Ozai! I was _scared_ of it! Oh, why was I even _up_ here, again? !

Just then, I heard Aang whisper: "Zuko, my fire went out."

"What do you want _me_ to do?" Zuko whispered back.

"Give me some of yours." Aang hissed, and reached for the flame Zuko held cupped in his hands.

Zuko pushed him back gently. "No, just make your own."

"I can't." Aang sounded desperate. I knew how he felt. It's like when the teacher asks you a question that you only know half the answer to, or you forget your lines in a school play.

"Get some from one of those warriors." Zuko told him. "Or from Emma. Hurry. Stop cheating off me!"

If I could have face-palmed, I would have. I wondered what Ran and Shao were thinking.

"Quit being stingy!" Aang protested and, the next thing I knew, Zuko's flame had gone out.

A voice whispered in my ear: "Get up there – hurry!" I recognized the voice of a spirit.

I nodded, and began running, cradling my flame against my chest as I ran past the Sun Warrior Chief and up the stone steps, taking them two at a time, not even bothering to remember how the story was supposed to go. I was used to obeying the spirits by now. If one was telling me to intervene, then I was gonna do it.

Just then, two spirits appeared by my side and, somehow, took a hold of my hands and dragged me. My feet left the ground and I was flying up those stone steps, a look of shock on my face.

Zuko and Aang both looked towards me as I flew towards them, and then the spirits left me standing there between the two boys, just as the rumbling sound grew louder and stronger, and then…

"Uh-oh." Zuko, Aang and I said in unison.

A red Dragon shot out of the cave on Aang's side and, with an almighty roar that sounded almost birdlike, it began to circle around us.

It was the most unbelievably incredible thing I had ever seen. It was terrifying…

The look on Zuko's face was utter shock, as he followed the dragon with his eyes, and I then remembered his nightmare.

A second Dragon exited the other cave. It was coloured blue. It began to circle us as well.

They were beautiful and formidable.

They commanded absolute respect.

I suddenly felt so small and insignificant, to stand there in their presence.

"These are the Masters." Zuko realised.

"You still think we can take em'?" Aang whispered.

"Ssh!" Zuko hissed. He glanced around, furtively. "I never said that…"

"I feel so unworthy…" I whispered.

Neither of the boys knew what to say to that.

As the Sun Warriors all bowed, and I knew that Ham Gao was making some quip about Zuko, Aang and I becoming dinner for the Dragons, Aang was deep in thought as he watched Ran and Shao's elaborate movements.

"Zuko," He whispered suddenly. "I think we're supposed to do The Dragon Dance with them."

"What?" Zuko asked in disbelief. "What about this situation makes you think they want us to dance?"

"Well, I think they want us to do something." Aang replied. "Let's just try it?" He looked at me.

"If you both know it, do it." I responded, my eyes focusing on something out at the sunset.

"Fine." Zuko responded.

I walked towards the sunset then, as Zuko and Aang began their dance, and their movements mirrored the Dragons' forms. Where they pushed their hands upwards, the Dragons angled upwards. Where they dipped, the Dragons dived.

I, meanwhile, was staring at the flames in my hands, which had turned silver. Something was about to happen, and I was sure it was going to be beneficial for the Fire Prince and the Avatar.

But…what about me, the Priestess?

I knew that the Dragons would judge Zuko and Aang accordingly, that they and their ancestors had made some mistakes but that the hearts of the Fire Prince and the Avatar were true.

But…what about me?

Behind me, I suddenly heard the two Dragons breathe fire from their mouths, and heard Zuko and Aang yell in fear as the flames engulfed them. I could see the colours of pink, purple, gold, red, blue, green, aqua, yellow and orange out of the corners of my eyes but, just then, the only colour I could see in front of me was a purply-grey, as a _third_ Dragon appeared.

This one was coloured the same purply-grey that was now all around me, and seemed to have a number of scars and tears all along its body.

The flames left my hands, and travelled around me, touching my skin but, instead of hurting, they reminded me of things. The warm breeze of tropical islands I liked to visit, or a nice hot-spring. The sensation of the sun warming up my skin, or the way I felt after eating my parents' home-made curry. The feeling of wrapping myself up in my favourite blanket during winter-time, or drinking a nice warm cup of tea. The most comforting hug from Mum, or the touch of Zuko's hand on my face…

A single tear slid down from my eyes, followed by another, and then more, until I was sobbing, because now I knew that fire was not something to fear, but something I should cherish, as a gift of life. I'd been so afraid of it before, but now I saw that it was not something I should see as something that wished to _dominate_ me.

Ozai, and _his_ kind of fire, _did_. But _Zuko_…my Prince…he only wished to protect me. He could use his flame to do that, and I cherished him for it, now that I realised why…

"Thank you, _Lóng_…" I whispered, and the Dragon dipped its head in acknowledgement, before the grey vanished from around me. The multicoloured fire vanished from behind me, and Ran and Shao disappeared into their caves. _Lóng_ lingered a moment more, and I was so sure that everyone could see it, before the Spirit Of The Dragon disappeared into the sunset.

Zuko, Aang and I stood there a moment longer, not really looking at anything, before I heard Aang say, tentatively: "E-Emma?"

I turned around, the tears still dripping down my face. "I was really scared!" I admitted, and both the boys came forwards then, and wrapped their arms around me.

_O~O~O~O_

As we descended the stairs, me walking in between Zuko and Aang, I said: "_Now_, Zuko, do you believe what I said on Kyoshi, about fire being beautiful?"

He nodded. "I saw so many colours, colours I never imagined." He still sounded awed. We all were. I guess we'd been enlightened.

"Like Firebending Harmony." Aang agreed. We had reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Yes." The Sun Warrior Chief nodded. "They judged you, and gave you visions of the meaning of Firebending."

I blushed, remembering how the fire had felt, to me, like Zuko's touch. I hoped that the Sun Warriors didn't know about that…

"I can't believe there are still living Dragons." Zuko was saying. "My Uncle Iroh said he faced the last Dragon and killed it."

"So, your Uncle lied…" Aang muttered.

"Actually," The Sun Warrior Chief was smiling. "It wasn't a _total_ lie. Iroh was one of the two last outsiders to face the Masters. They deemed him worthy and passed the secret onto him as well."

"He must have lied to protect them, so no one else would hunt them." Zuko realised.

"I'm just curious," I said to the Sun Chief Warrior. "Who was the _other_ last person to face them?"

The woman I had encountered before came forwards then, and she was smiling. "The one who danced The Dragon's Dance with Iroh was the Priestess Of _Zyr_ – the Priestess Of The Sun." She told me, and I knew at once who it must be.

"Zhu…" I breathed. Zuko looked stunned. "Wait, is Zhu a Firebender?"

The Sun Warrioress shook her head. "No, but her powers were in balance enough with the Dragons that they deemed her worthy. She was also able to see the _third_ Dragon, as did you and I."

I nodded. "I was scared of Firebending before, because of how I was taught. I have been burned by irresponsible people before, and I didn't want to become like them. Now, hopefully, _Lóng_ has shown me that I am strong enough to protect myself and others and that, somehow, I can Bend fire in my _own_ way…a _positive_ way…" I smiled.

"All this time," Aang said. "I thought Firebending was destruction. Since I hurt Katara, I've been too afraid and hesitant. But now I know what it really is…it's energy, and life." The Avatar nodded.

"Yeah." Zuko agreed. "It's like the Sun, but inside of you. Do you guys realise this?" He asked the Sun Warriors.

The Chief replied: "Well, our tribe _is_ called the Sun Warriors…so, yeah…"

"That's why my Firebending was so weak before." Zuko realised. "Because, for so many years, hunting _you_," He turned to Aang. "Was my drive…it was my purpose. So, when I joined you, I lost sight of my inner-fire. But now, I have a new drive. I have to help you defeat my Father and restore balance to the world…" He glanced at me. "And protect the people I care about."

"_I_ didn't even _know_ this sort of stuff existed when I was trying to find my purpose…" I reminded him, and he smiled a little bit sheepishly, before he and Aang demonstrated their Firebending for us, and the Sun Chief Warrior and Warrioress turned to me.

"Who _are_ you, child?" The Sun Warrior Chief wanted to know. He was looking at me curiously.

I stood up a little straighter. "My name is Emma. I am the Priestess Of _Wudang_ who hails from another world, where I am also the Avatar." There, I'd said it.

The Sun Chief Warrior and Warrioress' reactions were unexpected.

"You must be…" The Warrioress gasped, and exchanged a startled look with the Chief. The Chief grabbed Zuko's hand, while the Warrioress grabbed mine, and she pressed something onto my palm.

"What is…?" Zuko and I said in unison, and then we both gasped.

In my palm was a black Dragon. Its tail and body were long and sinuous, and it had glowing red eyes. Zuko's Dragon was white with blue eyes. The Red-Eyes Black Dragon and The Blue-Eyes White Dragon, huh?

As we watched, everyone seemed to hold their breaths, and then both Dragons came to life, and looked up at Zuko and I.

Zuko and I stared back at them, silently stunned…

"I knew it…" The Warrioress whispered, sounding awed. "Anyone who could run up the stairs the way you did, to help…"

"What are you _talking_ about?" I asked, just as the black Dragon shot forwards, and wrapped around my left hand. It curled around my fourth finger, before sinking its claws and fangs into my skin. I let out a yelp and, judging from Zuko's reaction behind me, his Dragon had just done the same thing.

Nobody said a word, until both Dragons had settled down to form the shape of rings, albeit _biting_ ones…

Then, the Sun Warrioress spoke. "Those two rings were forged in the very depths of the Eternal Flame." The Sun Warrioress said quietly, sounding reverent. Her eyes were glittering.

"They represent the very beginning of Existence," The Sun Warrior Chief added. "Yin and Yang."

Neither Zuko nor I said anything. We were both very much in shock right now…

"For years, we have been waiting to find the ones whose blood they were matched with." The Sun Warrioress said. "They are slightly-sentient, and symbolize unification."

The Sun Warrior Chief nodded. "Together, they form a single entity and, if they are ever separated again, they will become unbalanced and disorientated until they are reunited."

The Sun Warrioress said: "They are two single halves that can create one being, each one the opposite of the other, yet with characteristics of their partner."

"They are the symbolisation of True-Soul-Mates." The Sun Warrior Chief and Warrioress said in unison.

Zuko and I turned to face each other, unable to do much of anything else. We were both in too much shock to say anything…

"Wow, that's cool!" Aang said suddenly, popping up between Zuko and me. "Do I get one, two? A grey one with purple eyes, or something?"

"No." The Sun Warriors all said in unison, and Aang looked very disappointed…

I, however, couldn't take my eyes off of Zuko, and he seemed to be trying to stare into my soul.

True-Soul-Mates…?


	57. Golden Fans And Dragon's Fire

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

Golden Fans And Dragon's Fire

_Katara spoke up then and, for the first time in a long time, she didn't have something sarcastic to say. "The ancient people of my tribes learned Waterbending from the Moon, by watching how it pushed and pulled the tides…" She sounded a little wistful._

_"Yeah," Sokka agreed. "They'll be learning from Yue from now on."_

_Both siblings were staring off into space, looking faintly reminiscent._

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"Are they done yet?" Toph wanted to know.

"No." I replied.

"Are they cooked now?"

"Almost..."

"Are they ready?"

"Just about..."

"Can we..."

"YES! !" I fairly shouted, and practically threw a potato scallop at the blind girl.

She expertly caught it (somehow) and bit into it. "Yummy!" Then: "Ooh, hot, hot!"

We all laughed.

"Well, what did you expect?" Katara asked her, as Zuko came up with a tray of tea, and Katara pointedly turned her head away.

"Here." The Prince handed me a cup of tea. "I hope you enjoy it. I know I don't make it as good as Uncle, though..."

"_Nobody_ makes it as good as Uncle." I reminded him.

"Yeah." He agreed, and we both stared off into space for a second, our reverie broken only by Toph demanding more chips.

"It's nice to get a chance to relax a little." Toph said. I noticed that she was sitting right next to Haru. "It hardly ever happens." She accepted the tea cup from Zuko.

Sokka, who had been sitting off to the side, wearing a thoughtful expression, suddenly said to Zuko: "Hey, can I talk to you for a second?"

Zuko nodded, and the two boys walked away from the rest of us.

"What's up with them?" Katara wanted to know.

"Oh..." I wondered if I should tell her, or if I should just save it for a nice surprise. I decided on the latter. "Just...guy talk...Yang-Chong, _don't_ steal Momo's potato scallop!" I said suddenly.

Yang-Chong gave an indignant squawk, one that sounded like: 'But Momo _started_ it!'.

"I don't care who started, _I'll_ finish it!" I said firmly, crossing my arms. "Honestly, am I the _only_ adult around here?"

Katara nodded sagely. "I know _just_ how you feel..."

_O~O~O~O_

The next morning, sure as anything, Zuko and Sokka were both gone. They'd left a note, written half in Zuko's perfect script, and half in Sokka's barely legible scrawl (and they say _mine_ is bad)...

Katara read: "Need meat. Gone fishing." She squinted to try and read her brother's handwriting. "Back in a few days. Sokka and Zuko."

Katara glanced at me and I shrugged, as Aang yawned and headed back to bed.

"Oh, one more thing." Katara added. "Aang, practice your Firebending while I'm gone. Do twenty sets of fire fists and ten hot squats every time you hear a Badgerfrog croak. Zuko."

As if on cue, a Badgerfrog croaked.

"Nobody else has homework..." Aang complained. We heard him begin: "One hot squat. Two hot squat..."

"Oh, and by the way," Katara went on. "This note will self-destruct in five seconds."

And, sure enough, to our horror, the note immediately burst into flames.

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I had thought that my mission with Sokka to go to the high-security Boiling rock Prison to rescue his Father was going to be danger-filled and possibly even suicidal, but I'd never expected the journey in my war balloon over there to be so..._awkward_.

Sokka's whistling was getting on my nerves, too.

"What?" I turned to him.

"What?" The warrior blinked. "Oh, I didn't say anything..." He looked away. "You know, a friend of mine actually designed these war balloons."

"No kidding." I nodded.

"Yup. A balloon. But for War." Sokka replied.

"If there's one thing my Dad's good at," I turned away from Sokka. "It's War." I Firebended some more flames into the fuel tank.

"Yeah, it seems to run in the family." Sokka noted.

He sounded nonchalant, but I instinctively took offence to it. "Hey, hold on. Not everyone in my family is like that!"

"I know, I know, you've changed." Sokka said, soothingly.

"I meant my Uncle." I replied, thinking of my conversation with Emma last night. It made me feel sad to think of the Uncle I had betrayed. "He was more of a Father to me. I really let him down..."

Sokka was empathetic. "I think your Uncle would be proud of you. Leaving your home to come help us, that's hard."

"It wasn't that hard." I replied, thinking of Emma.

As if he could read my mind, Sokka said, a little hesitantly: "Soooo...you and Emma...you're...you know...?"

I paused for a second, before smiling slightly. "Yeah, we are."

"Good for you." Sokka nodded his approval. "I'm glad she found someone."

"You are?" I was surprised he felt like that. From the way his sister was acting, it was like I was the unwanted brother-in-law or something...

"Yeah," Sokka sounded thoughtful. "I kinda figured for some time that you two must be...you know...and, anyway, it's gotta be better than that gloomy girl who sighs a lot."

"You mean Mai?" I thought for a second. "I broke up with her, after I realised how I felt about Emma...I hurt them both a lot at different points...Mai was my first real girlfriend, even though I wasn't in love with her..."

Sokka nodded, like he understood. "My first girlfriend turned into the Moon." He told me.

"That's rough, buddy." I replied.

_O~O~O~O_

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"…How about now?"

"_No_."

"What about now?"

"_No_."

"Now?"

"For the last time, _no_!"

"Is this the place?"

"YES! !"

_O~O~O~O_

**Suki's P.O.V:**

I had lost count of the number of days I'd been here at the highest security prison in the Fire Nation. Everything had started becoming routine. If you didn't make trouble, you got by. I supposed not being a Bender was an added bonus – I wasn't going to have to do time in the freezer.

As I lay on my bed, I thought about how Azula had defeated me. My insides clenched in anger and shame, and I wished I knew if my fellow warriors were okay. Were they? Had the Fire Nation imprisoned them somewhere else, or had they killed them?

Tears burned the backs of my eyes, but I did not cry. That would not do me any good.

I thought about Sokka, and Aang and Katara, and Toph. I thought about Emma, and about our war with the Fire Nation.

What was I supposed to do?

Just then, the door to my cell opened, and a soldier came in.

I sat up immediately, and said: "What is it? Did I do something wrong?" I had learned to act tough when I needed to, being one of the only females in a prison overrun with male guards. So far, none of them had touched me, but I was always on my guard...

"You mean you don't recognize me?" The soldier wearing the helmet crossed his arms.

"You people all look the same to me." I replied stubbornly, looking aside.

"Oh." The guard sounded smug. "Then maybe you'll recognize _this_?" He pursed his lips and attempted smooching sounds.

My warrior-training kicked in, and I grabbed his chin and pushed him towards the door with force.

He fell back, and the helmet fell off his head to reveal...

_Oh my...the Spirits..._

The tears pricked the _fronts_ of my eyes now. "Sokka! It's you!" The relief washed over me as I ran to him, and threw my arms around him. Sokka...he'd come for me...

Sokka wanted to know if the other warriors were here, and I said no, that I was only here because I was the leader.

Sokka said that I wouldn't be in here for long.

We gazed at each other for a moment, before he leaned forwards and kissed me. I kissed him back, feeling the happiness and relief that I hadn't felt since arriving here at the prison. I was going to be okay...I had Sokka here, and I knew that he wouldn't let me out of his sight again...

Well, I wasn't going to let _him_ out of _my_ sight again, that was for sure!

_O~O~O~O_

It turned out that Sokka hadn't come alone – he was with Zuko, as in _Prince_ Zuko who, apparently, was now an enemy of his very own nation! He was actually trying to _help_ us, by teaching Aang Firebending!

It must be a blue moon...

Zuko got himself arrested for protecting Sokka and me, though I still acted cool towards him, as we mopped the floors together.

He didn't seem tor remember me, until I reminded him that he'd burned down my village.

He apologized, and said that it was nice to see me again.

This was going to take some getting used to.

I wanted to ask him what had happened to Emma, but I was too scared to.

_O~O~O~O_

I was worried about the escape plan Sokka had come up with, and my worries proved to be justified. Another prisoner (Chit Sang) had overheard us talking, and wanted in on the escape plan. He, his girlfriend, and his best friend, were all going to be coming along with us, and Sokka had no choice but to accept, otherwise they'd tell the guards about us.

As we prepared to leave, I overheard Zuko talking to Sokka.

"Are you sure you want to go?" The Prince asked my boyfriend. "You're the one who said you wanted to redeem yourself. Redeem your honour. Rescuing your Dad is your chance."

I intervened. "Your Dad?" This was the first I'd heard about this – Sokka's Father was here?

Sokka looked desperate, and I realised the decision weighing him down. "If I had just cut my losses at the invasion, maybe we wouldn't be in this mess. Maybe sometimes it's just better to call it quits before you fail."

"No, it's not." Zuko told him. "Look Sokka, you're going to fail a lot before things work out."

"That's supposed to make me feel better?" Sokka raised an eyebrow, and then turned and walked away.

Zuko nodded. "Even though you'll probably fail over and over and over again."

Sokka stopped in his tracks. "Seriously, not helping."

"You have to _try_ every time!" Zuko said firmly, grabbing Sokka's shoulder. "You can't quit because you're afraid you might fail!"

Sokka decided then and there that he was staying. He wanted me to leave with the others, but I said that I wasn't going to leave without him, Zuko chose to stay behind as well.

It was probably just as well, since Chit Sang and the others were caught.

That could have just as easily been _us_...

_O~O~O~O_

The gondola carrying new prisoners was getting closer, and Sokka, Zuko and I stood in the shadows, waiting for it. Sokka was visibly shaking, and I held his hand for support.

"If my Dad's not there, we risked everything for nothing." Sokka said to me.

"We had to." I assured him. "If we hadn't stayed, you would have spent a long time afterwards wondering 'what if'."

Zuko looked at me sideways then. "That sounds like something Emma would say."

"Yeah..." I glanced sideways at the Fire Prince. "Whatever happened to her, anyway? What did you _do_ to her?"

"She's..." Zuko began but, just then, Sokka let out a gasp.

We both looked at him, and then in the direction he was staring.

Sokka's eyes were fixed on a man who, now that I realised it, looked an awful lot like Sokka and Katara. Even from where I was standing, I could see the hair-braid, and the same, startling blue eyes.

"Dad." Sokka whispered.

_O~O~O~O_

**Aang's P.O.V:**

"Okay, Emma, _talk_!" Katara ordered me. Emma cringed. "I know my brother and _him_ didn't go looking for meat! So tell me where they went, right now!"

"I-I don't know!" Emma stammered.

"Liar!" Katara snapped.

"Yup." Toph nodded.

"Katara, why are you so dead-set against _any_ of us having _anything_ to do with Prince Zuko?" I asked her.

"You know the answer to that." Katara replied. She narrowed her eyes. "Emma, _what_ is going on?" She asked the brunette.

"Umm..." Emma looked at me desperately, and then she gasped and looked past me. "_Azula_!" She screamed, pointing in horror.

The rest of us all screamed as well, and turned around wildly, looking for any signs of the wild, vicious Fire Princess. We couldn't see her, and then we heard running footsteps. We looked back in time to see Emma launch herself off of the edge of the platform we were standing on.

"Emma!" Katara and I yelled in unison, and ran to the edge.

Emma was freefalling for only a moment, before Yang-Chong swooped down and latched his talons onto the back of her robes. As he flew off with her, she yelled over her shoulder: "_I'm going to go find them_!"

Katara and I watched her go.

"I know you may be angry with her at the moment," I said to Katara. "But you have to admit...Emma's got _style_."

Momo chose that moment to strut across the platform like a fancy model, wearing some kind of floral hat.

Katara and I looked at each other, and shrugged.

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I was heading towards the crater, and it looked enough like the one I'd seen in the TV show for me to know that this was the right place.

"There!" I called to Yang-Chong, pointing to the gondolas. "They're about to cut the lines, hurry!"

I knew that Mai would be there to stop the guards from cutting the cables, but I didn't want her fighting off the guards by herself. Something suddenly took over me, and I had to help her.

"_Mai_!" I shouted, as Yang-Chong brought me down closer, and Mai looked up at me just as Yang-Chong let go of me.

I fell the last few feet, and landed lightly, immediately whipping out my fan and spinning to attack a pair of guards on my left.

"What are you doing?" Mai asked me, her stilettos flying.

"Saving a friend!" I replied, kicking out and catching a guard under the chin. "Where's Zuko?"

"He's safe." Mai assured me, her voice still as emotionless as ever. "Which is more than can be said for us."

I used my fan to shield Mai and me from the flames, before kicking up some rocks and Earthbending them at the soldiers. "We'll get out of this somehow! You and Ty-Lee can still escape with me!" I told her, noticing that Azula was returning. My insides clenched with fear just then. "Yang-Chong can carry all of us!"

"You'd do that for me?"

"Yes, I would!"

Mai looked like she was seriously about to take my offer, when a wave of blue flames fanned towards us, and we both ducked.

I saw the faces of Azula and Ty-Lee through the flames. Ty-Lee looked frightened, but Azula's face was a perfect picture of unmasked fury.

"You have been a thorn in my side for far too long!" She told me, stepping through the flames to face Mai and me. "I never wanted you in my family, not even as my sister-in-law!"

I wasn't actually sure at that point if she was talking to me or Mai, but I said: "Azula, if Ozai had gotten _his_ way, I would have been your _Step-Mother_!" My heart was pounding.

Ty-Lee gasped, and even Mai looked a little shocked.

Azula's face became even more twisted in rage, as she lunged forwards suddenly, catching me by surprise with a boot to my chest. I flew backwards, and hit a stone pillar.

I gasped in shock, feeling the pain shoot down my entire body.

Azula looked like a ferocious animal just then, as she stepped towards me, but then she stopped, because Mai had just stepped in front of me.

"Not another step." She warned Azula.

Azula raised an eyebrow. "Mai, what on _earth_ has possessed you today? Why are you protecting _them_? My brother doesn't love you, he loves _her_!" She glared at me.

Mai sighed. "Don't talk about love as if you know it, Azula."

"What did you say?" Azula growled.

"You heard me." Mai replied. "Azula, you are the last person on _earth_ I would be afraid of right now."

Azula's eyes widened. "That's...that's what _Mother_ said to me..." Her painted-red lip trembled for a moment, before her face darkened. "You have no right to say what my Mother said!" She moved into the position I knew all too well, the position she'd been in when she'd shot both Uncle Iroh and Aang with lightning. She was going to kill Mai!

"_Mai_!"

It wasn't me who had spoken, though. Ty-Lee had suddenly entered the fray, and she'd jabbed Azula multiple times on pressure points, disabling the Princess' Firebending.

I didn't have time to be shocked, however, because Azula was on the ground, panting, and then she shouted: "Guards! Kill these three traitors, _now_!" Her eyes were wild, like a ferocious beast's. She was _beyond_ reasoning now.

I gasped, and tried to pull myself up. I used the wall for support, and found myself, Mai and Ty-Lee surrounded by guards.

"What are we gonna do?" Ty-Lee gasped.

"I'm sorry, it wasn't supposed to end this way!" I cried, just as a piercing, musical cry echoed from overhead, accompanied by a yell.

"_Emma_!" Zuko fell from the sky, landing swiftly next to me, and he grabbed my left hand (wearing the Dragon Ring) in his right hand (wearing the Dragon Ring).

At once, a startling explosion of colour lit up the sky, and flames of ever which colour arced around us, leaving Mai, Ty-Lee, Zuko and I untouched, but burning the guards who were on their way to kill us. Azula, somehow, managed to remain unburned, and stared up at us in shock, as the flames that were shaped like two Dragons danced around us.

"It's so...beautiful..." Ty-Lee said, above the roar of the flames.

"Yeah..." Zuko was looking at me, and then he snapped out of it. Still clasping my hand, he turned to Mai and Ty-Lee. "Are you two coming? !"

Mai and Ty-Lee exchanged a glance, and then shook their heads.

"What? !" I gasped, as Yang-Chong flew down through the flames, grabbing onto the back of Zuko's robes. "But, we were supposed to escape together!" I knew that, in the TV show, Mai and Ty-Lee stay and are fine, but that was _before_ Azula had told the guards to kill her two best friends! She had meant it, too!

"You two go." Mai said calmly, although her eyes were glittering. _My_ eyes were beyond that stage – they were positively _cascading_ by now. "Yang-Chong _can't_ carry us all...go..."

"You two have to get married and have beautiful Fire Nation babies!" Ty-Lee added, her own eyes moist with tears.

"But, Azula will kill you if you stay here!" I shouted, as Yang-Chong took off, lifting Zuko up, and the Fire Prince had his arms around me and wasn't letting go. His face was expressionless, but his eyes seemed troubled. _My_ tears fell unhindered by that stage. "You were supposed to come with us! _Mai_! _Ty-Lee_!" I screamed, as the flames enveloped them both...

_O~O~O~O_

I awoke with a start that evening, to find myself lying on a blanket by a fire. I sat up quickly.

Zuko was sitting beside me. He looked at me.

"Was it a dream?" I whispered.

Zuko shook his head silently.

"Oh no..." I began to sob, and put my head in my hands. Zuko held me in his arms. "If only I'd never gotten involved, Azula wouldn't have told the guards to kill her two best friends!"

"You don't know that for sure." Zuko said strongly. Over his shoulder, I could see the others looking at me with some concern. Katara, Aang, Sokka, Toph...Suki and a man I knew must be Katara and Sokka's Father, Hakoda...the other three Fire Nation prison escapees...Haru, Teo and The Duke...

"Yes, I do!" I reminded him. "It's all my fault! It's all my fault Mai and Ty-Lee have to die!"

"Emma, I know my sister!" Zuko told me. "I know she only said those things out of anger – I _know_ she _won't_ have Mai and Ty-Lee killed. Okay?"

"How can you know that, Zuko?" I asked him. "How can you? !"

"I just do." He replied. "You said once before that you trusted me...remember?" I nodded. "Well, I need you to trust me now, okay?"

I sniffled, and looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. _His_ golden eyes were calm, and full of sincerity. I nodded slowly. "Okay..."

_Mai...Ty-Lee...PLEASE be okay..._


	58. Eternal Tears

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT

Eternal Tears

_Zuko fell from the sky, landing swiftly next to me, and he grabbed my left hand (wearing the Dragon Ring) in his right hand (wearing the Dragon Ring)._

_At once, a startling explosion of colour lit up the sky, and flames of ever which colour arced around us, leaving Mai, Ty-Lee, Zuko and I untouched, but burning the guards who were on their way to kill us. Azula, somehow, managed to remain unburned, and stared up at us in shock, as the flames that were shaped like two Dragons danced around us._

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

Emma was feeling guilty. We could _all_ see that. She blamed herself for what had happened back at the Boiling Rock, and no amount of wise words were going to stop her from berating herself. I was also feeling slightly worried about the fate's of Mai and Ty-Lee at the hands of my ruthless little sister, but I assured myself that it was all going to work out fine. It _had_ to – I didn't think anything _else_ could go wrong now. I was trying to focus on training the Avatar, and I didn't want to be worrying about my sister all the time. I couldn't ignore my worry for Emma, though.

I also had another thought on my mind – what _had_ that fire been, the one that had occurred when I'd grabbed Emma's hand? I knew that it had something to do with the rings the Sun Warriors had given us. The fire had been the same as the Dragon's Fire. I decided to ask Emma about it, in a last ditch attempt to make her feel better. I would say that, if we hadn't been there, we'd never have discovered that strange power.

After that, I was out of ideas.

I woke up very early and, for once, so did Emma. For once, the others had let me sleep in the same room as them.

I looked over at Emma, and she looked at me. I put a finger to my lips, and signalled to her that I wanted to talk to her. She nodded, and we both left quietly, walking past Toph's earthen tent as we did.

"Oh, Haru," We heard her mutter in her sleep. "Yes…_again_…"

Emma and I traded a startled glance.

We went for a walk throughout the temple. Yang-Chong accompanied us.

"The last time I was here," I said quietly, as our footsteps echoed throughout the vast halls. "I said some things to Uncle that I'm not proud of. Things I can't take back. Being here reminds me of times when I wasn't a good person…"

"You can't change what you _used_ to be," Emma said simply, tugging at her choker. "Nor can you change how others saw you back then. All you can do is plan for the future, and live in the moment."

"I guess you're right," I nodded. "Even though I don't know if my Uncle will forgive me, or even if he's alright, I can't do anything about it now. So…it's no use beating myself up over it?"

She turned her head towards me, and raised an eyebrow. "We're not talking about you anymore, are we?"

I shrugged. "What do you think?"

She sighed, and turned away. "I don't know." She watched as Yang-Chong perched on a nearby stone wall, and began cleaning his feathers. "I don't know _what_ to think at the moment. When I came here, I didn't know if my presence would change what was meant to happen or not. I had no way of knowing how many people would be affected when I came into their lives."

I looked at her. "Well, I'm glad you came into my life." I told her, sincerely.

She blushed. "M-me too…" Her eyes suddenly widened. "Oh, right! I almost forgot! I have something I wanna show you!" She grabbed my hand and began pulling me. "Come on!"

"What is it?" I asked her.

"You'll see!" She said, dragging me into another corridor, down a Secret Tunnel, and out into another hall. "Here it is!" She stopped in front of a wall. "I'm so glad, I wasn't sure if I could _find_ it again!"

"It's…a wall?" I guessed.

She rolled her eyes. "Just watch." She said, and placed her hand on an imprint I hadn't noticed before.

At once, I hole opened up in the floor beneath us, and we both fell into it. I couldn't help it, and let out a yelp, since I hadn't been expecting it.

"What's wrong? !" Emma's voice came from somewhere to my left.

"You didn't tell me we were going to be _falling_!" I replied, as we fell through the blackness.

"Oh, don't be so wimpy, it's not like we're sliding forever!" She told me, just as we slid out into the sunshine again.

We fell onto the grass, and landed with her underneath of me, much to her embarrassment – her face turned red. I froze for a second, looking at her lying there on the grass, her hair fanning out around her, and that blush on her face that I, somehow, had missed all those months we'd been separated.

I leaned towards her, and felt her heart-rate increase slightly. I smirked and, just then, I heard a sharp, musical cry.

I looked up, to see that Yang-Chong had landed on a nearby tree-branch, and seemed to be glaring at me.

I gave him a Look, but got up anyway and, on an impulse, helped the blushing Priestess to her feet.

As she brushed herself off, I asked her: "Where is this place?"

"I'm not sure." She replied, smiling. "I found it a couple of days ago – I had to leave before I could explore further, though." She walked forwards, towards a dais that was set in the middle of a donut-shaped pond. I watched her hop across the stepping stones, before turning to Yang-Chong and glaring at him.

He glared back at me.

The phoenix and I had a staring contest, until I heard Emma call: "Hey, Prince Zuko, come and have a look at this!" She was standing at the dais, and beckoning to me over her shoulder.

I walked down on of the stone paths, and then hopped expertly across the white stones. I joined her at the dais.

"Read this." She said, sounding slightly breathless.

The dais had words engraved onto it, and I read them out-loud.

"When two people blessed by the Spirits stand before this dais..." I read. I paused. What did that mean?

"Then all of the Spirit World and mortal realm shall smile upon them..." Emma continued.

"When the truest vow of all is made." We finished together.

Just then, the dais began glowing.

"What did you _do_? !" Emma hissed.

"It's not my fault!" I snapped back, just as the white light enveloped us.

"What's going on? !" Emma grabbed onto my arm, as we were surrounded by the whiteness.

I didn't know, and I told her so. "What now?" I whispered.

We seemed to have disappeared from everything, and I had no idea what to do. This wasn't a dream – what was happening?

"Umm...Zuko..." Emma looked up at me with her golden eyes. "Do you think...umm...we're supposed to...make a true vow or...something?"

I stared down at her. "What makes you say that?" I wanted to know.

She looked to the side. "I dunno...just...Zuko...how do you feel about me?" She began speaking very fast, as if she'd wanted to say this for quite some time now. "I mean, are we...you know, boyfriend and girlfriend? Are we gonna stay together or will we, you know, have a few years of a relationship and then break up? What if we die in this war or something? ! Zuko, I wanna know if you love me too!" She fairly yelled, and then her eyes opened wide. "Oh..." She stepped back from me, and covered her mouth with her hand.

She looked up at me, her eyes a little apprehensive, as if she expected me to say no.

I paused. What _should_ I say?

"Do you know..." Emma said, from behind her hand, seeming unwilling to look at me anymore. "I was lost in a cave a few months back, and it conjured up visions of you that weren't you...they tried to get me to come to them. This was the Cave Of Two Lovers..." She explained. "I had to try and concentrate on the _real_ you, and I hoped that the visions weren't true...they said they wouldn't forgive me for what happened up at the North Pole...and then!" She went on, seeing that I was about to respond. "When I was trudging through a swamp, it conjured up _more_ visions to haunt me. First of Zhao...and then of you..." She took a deep breath. "Could death and sorrow _really_ be such an illusion, like Hue suggested?" She sighed. "I don't want love to be an illusion, though..."

"Emma." I said in an even voice, and she finally looked back at me.

"Yes?" She whispered.

"For those months, I began to think about myself," I told her. "And, about you...and _us_. The desire to be with you became so strong, I nearly couldn't stand it." I took her hands in mine. She seemed stunned. "And, when I finally saw you again, I hurt you so badly, it nearly _killed_ me. When my Father tried to hurt you, the thought of life without you was worse than anything. I don't _want_ to spend another day without you! _I love you_!" My voice rang out in the strange whiteness of the realm we'd found ourselves in. "Emma, I love you! I've loved you since before I met you, when I heard stories about you! I always wanted to meet you and, now that I have, I never want to let you go!"

"Oh, Zuko!" Emma exclaimed, her eyes welling up with tears, but she was smiling now. "I know what you mean, I know _exactly_ what you mean! I really do!" She looked into my eyes, and I saw so much sincerity in there that _I_ wanted to cry. Could this girl _really_ be for real, standing before me and opening her heart to me, as I was doing to her? "Zuko...I love you..."

I leaned towards her, and captured her lips in mine, savouring the moment. I drew back, and held her hands up between us, closing my eyes for a moment.

"Emma," I said, and then paused. "Umm...what are your parents' names?"

"What?" She looked confused by the sudden change of subject.

"Just tell me." I said.

"They're William and Gaye." She replied, still looking confused.

I nodded. "Emma, youngest daughter of William and Gaye. I, Zuko, son of Ozai and Ursa, love you more than any man has ever loved a woman." These were the words that men of my nation spoke to the woman they loved, the woman they wanted to be with forever. "I want to be by your side, so that I may cherish you until forever comes." I knelt down on one knee. Emma was pale by this stage, and she was frozen in place. Her hands felt freezing. I looked up into her eyes, unable to keep the tears out of mine now. "Emma, my beloved...my wonderful, passionate Emma...please...take me, Zuko, as your husband. Please...marry me?"

Emma appeared to have become catatonic. She seemed unable to do or say anything, and she remained that way for a full minute, before she looked to the side, and cleared her throat, visibly readying herself for saying something important.

I felt panic stab at my heart. If she said no, I would not live to see the end of this war.

"Zuko," She said, her voice shaking. "Son of Ozai and Ursa...that you...someone so strong and brilliant...one shining like the sun forever, even after all the suns in the universe go out...that you could want someone like me for your bride...if you'll take me, in strength and in weakness...in Fire and in Water..." She smiled suddenly, and entwined her fingers around mine. "Yes, Zuko! I will marry you!" The tears spilled over for the both of us.

"Then I vow to become your husband!" I said, the joy welling up inside of me and spilling over, as I rose and picked her up and spun her around. "I vow to become Fire Lord and make you my Fire Lady! I love you!" I cried, and she laughed.

We were about to kiss, when the Dragons on our fingers suddenly sprung to life, snaking around each other, and then the black one bit me, and the white one bit Emma.

We both gasped but, before we could react any further, our own respective Dragons returned to us, and bit us again for good measures, before returning to their dormant states.

Emma and I exchanged a confused glance for half a second, before she threw her arms around me and kissed me. I returned the kiss, as the white light around us faded, and we were suddenly standing back in the courtyard by the dais, which had crumbled for some reason.

We didn't care though, and just continued our kiss, that is until we heard something that made us both pull apart quickly.

We both instinctively looked up at the sky and saw, to our horror, a Fire Nation airship, heading straight for the temple!

"It's Azula!" Emma gasped, and I looked at her for a second, before grabbing her hand, and Yang-Chong grabbed me by the backs of my robes with his talons.

"Remind me to kiss you more, later..." My wife-to-be whispered, and my heart leapt.

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

We arrived back at out campsite just in time for Zuko to save Katara's life from crumbling temple ceiling.

She was...a little less than thankful, which annoyed me, but I put it out of my mind because we were in danger.

Toph created a tunnel through a wall that we could use to escape.

Aang was trying unsuccessfully to get Appa to go into the tunnel, and the others pitched in to try and help.

I looked behind me, to where Zuko was facing the airships.

"What are you doing? !" I called to him, already knowing.

"Go ahead!" He called back, not taking his eyes off of the advancing danger. "I'll hold them off!" He ran towards the airships.

"Zuko, no!" I cried, but a hand grabbed my shoulder, and I looked up to see Sokka. His sister was right behind him.

"Come on, we gotta get out of here!" Sokka told me.

I was watching Zuko jumping over the crumbled portions of the Air Temple's doors. "I'm not leaving without him!" I protested, trying to break free.

Sokka's grip increased on my left shoulder, as Katara said: "He'll be fine!"

Sokka's hand suddenly clenched around the burn mark and, despite the fact that it hadn't hurt me in awhile, I still leapt back instinctively, and the sleeve of my robes fell down, revealing the Fire Nation insignia there.

The Water Tribe siblings stared at it.

I hurried to pull my sleeve back up, and said: "You're right, he's fine – let's go!"

We ran back to where the others were, but the look in Katara's eyes told me that I hadn't heard the last of this.

_O~O~O~O_

"I can't get him to go in there." Aang told us, tugging one last time on Appa's reins before giving up. "Appa hates tunnels."

"Aang, there's no way we can fly out of here." Katara reasoned, glancing over her shoulder as another bomb caused the already destroyed temple to shudder. Every explosion brought the Fire Nation – and Azula – closer to us.

"We'll have to find a way." Aang said firmly.

"Yang-Chong and I can cover you while you escape." I stated, as the phoenix landed on my arm.

Sokka nodded. "We need to split up." The Water Tribe Warrior headed over to where his Father, Teo, Haru, The Duke and Suki waited in the tunnel, along with the three Fire Nation ex-prisoners. "Take the tunnel and get to the stolen airship."

"No." Katara said quickly, going to stand beside her Father as well. "The Fire Nation can't separate our family again."

Hakoda placed his hands on his daughter's shoulders. "It'll be okay, it's not forever."

Unexplained tears burned into my eyes just then. Maybe it was because I knew what Katara would be facing in the next few days, or maybe I just missed my own Father? Whatever the reason for my tears, I hastily hurried to wipe them away, as some very quick goodbyes were made. This included Sokka deciding that Suki should come with us and then, to my surprise, Toph said something to Haru that we couldn't hear, and then he blushed and joined us.

_Haru's coming?_ I was stunned. _What the hell is happening to the storyline? !_

Katara helped Suki onto Appa's saddle, and Toph and Haru Earthbended themselves onto the giant bison.

"Umm, there's an awful lot of fire in that general direction." Suki said doubtfully, as our surrounding began to crumble some more.

"That's what I'm here for." I reassured her, as we headed outside again.

Toph and Haru created a shield of earth around Appa, which protected him from Azula's fire when the Princess spotted us. When the Firebenders on the airships attacked us, Yang-Chong and I worked together; him absorbing the flames and me deflecting them with my golden fan. Suki nodded her approval.

That was when I saw Zuko, and my heart leapt into my throat when he looked up at me. I hadn't fully come to realise the implications of the promise we'd just made to each other. He'd proposed to me – and I'd said _yes_. I was getting married!

The situation still didn't seem real enough yet, though...

Katara and I worked with Waterbending after that, to stop the flames from burning Appa and the wooden saddle. Meanwhile, the two Fire Nation siblings battled on.

I could tell from the looks on almost everyone's faces that they realised now that Zuko was putting his life on the line to protect us. This was a first for them, I knew it. Only Toph and Katara remained expressionless.

When Azula was pushed back, and Zuko fell from the sirpship, however, I saw the Waterbender's eyes widen just a fraction, but decided I must have imagined it, as I sent Yang-Chong to retrieve Zuko, who had fallen further away from Appa than expected.

I grabbed his hand and pulled him onto Appa's saddle, and together the seven of us watched as Azula fell through the air.

"She's not going to make it." Zuko said. I gripped his hand.

A frustrated Azula suddenly tugged out her hairpiece, and Firebended with her feet to send herself towards the nearby cliff, where she back-flipped and dug in the hairpiece to slow her fall and finally stop.

"Of course she did." Zuko sighed.

Azula looked up at us, her eyes singling me out from the eight of us. She smirked and, I know it was childish, but I turned my head away from her in a very condescending way. I didn't see what she did in response to that, but later on Zuko told me that his sister was furious with me...

Well...good!

She was gonna be my sister-in-law...we weren't supposed to get along!

_O~O~O~O_

That night, we were seated around the campfire on top of a rocky hill where we had fled to. An exhausted Appa was fast-asleep. Momo was curled up near the fire, and Yang-Chong was resting _in_ the fire, basking in the warm glow of his natural element, much to Haru's amusement.

I _still_ didn't know _why_ Haru was with us now, but I suspected that it had something to do with Toph, whom he was sitting next to. I didn't dare ask her, though – I'd probably end up getting Earthbended into next week, by which time the comet would have passed and the war would be over. For me, that wouldn't be a very ideal situation...

"Wow, camping." Aang smiled. "It really seems like old times again, doesn't it?"

Zuko broke a biscuit in half and handed me the bigger piece, before saying: "If you really want to feel like old times, I could, uhh...chase you around awhile and try to capture you...?"

Everyone except Katara laughed, and even _more_ so when I added: "While I sit around and listen to you tell me that you're right and I'm wrong? I don't _think_ so!"

Aang grinned. "Was he really that bossy?"

I rolled my eyes. "You don't know how many times I wanted to jump overboard." Zuko and I smiled at each other.

Katara rolled her eyes.

Sokka raised his cup of tea. "To Zuko. Who knew after all those times he tried to snuff us out, today, he'd be our hero?"

Once again, everyone but Katara got into the spirit of things, and raised their cups.

"Here, here!" Toph, Haru, Suki, Sokka, Aang and I all agreed.

Zuko smiled genuinely. "I'm touched...I don't deserve this..."

I was about to open my mouth to tell him that he _did_, when Katara spoke up finally. "Yeah, no kidding." She said, glaring daggers at the Prince.

I set down my cup quite suddenly then, and said: "Katara, I disagree with you!" Something akin to anticipation curled up in my heart.

Katara looked at me in surprise, and the others seemed slightly apprehensive. I understood – I'd never spoken to her like that before.

"What don't you agree with, Emma?" Katara wanted to know.

I took a deep breath. "The way you're treating Zuko." I said finally, placing a hand on my heart and the other out in front of me, to emphasize my point.

"Which part of it?" Katara crossed her arms firmly. "The part where I speak my mind, or the part where I give him _exactly_ what he deserves?"

"The part where you're so bloody insensitive that you can't even see that you're hurting _my_ feelings as _well_ as his!" I snapped, the anticipation transforming into anger.

Katara stood up suddenly. "He doesn't _have_ feelings, he's a Firebender!"

"Well, so am I!" I retorted hotly, rising to my feet also.

"Yeah, I can see that!" Katara nodded, a little bit smugly.

"Yeah, well, you know what _I_ can see?" I asked her, my hands now shaking. I fought hard to control my anger, though, but it was hard and, the next thing I knew, the words just came tumbling out. "I can see a selfish girl who thinks the entire world revolves around her, like nobody else has problems, like nobody else misses their parents!" I was yelling now, and everyone was staring at me in shock. Tears were in my eyes now, but they were hot, angry tears. "You have no idea what Zuko's life has been like, and yet there's one part of it you _do_ understand, the one part you _might_ connect with him on, but since you're acting like such an immature monster, clearly you learned _nothing_ from your Mother's death! !"

The silence that followed my last statement was deafening. The only thing I could hear was the crackling of the fire, and the pounding of my heart...or, maybe that was just Katara's.

She was staring at me with an expression on her face that I _never_ want to see again – it was a mixture of hurt, betrayal, anger and, last of all, anguish beyond _anything_ I could comprehend. It was her eyes that were the worst part of all. They were piercing right into my soul, and I couldn't look away from them.

We stood there like that for a moment, facing each other and, slowly, my hand crept up to my mouth.

"_Oh my God_..." I whispered, before I turned and ran, like I always had in the old days, away from this problem, which I had created. My heart was pounding, and the tears welled up and over, as I ran. _Why did I say that? How could I have done this to her? I'm sorry, Kya, forgive me! !_

_O~O~O~O_

I ended up by the ocean, in a peaceful little bay which suited me just fine, as I walked out into the waist-deep water, and took a few, shuddering breaths, but I couldn't stop the tears. It was as if I was feeling Katara's pain, as well as my own, and it was killing me.

I looked up at the moon, and said: "Princess Yue, some guidance, please...if you will?" There was no answer, and I sighed, and lay on my back in the gentle waters, floating there like that in the moonlight. "Okay, I know I don't deserve some guidance...but, seriously, spirits, _please_ give me some help!" I begged, the stars blurry beyond my tears. "I mean, everything was going okay – I'm getting married! But...then, I had a fight with Katara, and I said the most horrible things I _could_ have said! I basically told her that she didn't care about her Mother at all, and that's not true now, is it?" I bit my lip. "Oh, why is this so hard...I need some advice, please..." I closed my eyes. "Any sort of help would be much appreciated..."

_O~O~O~O_

**No One's P.O.V:**

_A young Water Tribe boy raised his head out of a snow fort, only to be hit in the face with a snowball thrown by his cute little sister._

_Just then, black soot began falling from the sky, resembling black snow._

_"I'm going to find Mum." The little girl said quickly, and ran past her brother, who ran in the opposite direction._

_The Water Tribe Warriors had seen black snow before, and knew what it meant. A Fire Nation Raid._

_The soldiers yelled a battle cry and, even though they were badly outnumbered, the Water Tribe Warriors rushed to confront them, as the red flag with a black raven-symbol on it billowed in the wind..._

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I awoke with a start, unsure of where I was. That was when I realised that I'd fallen asleep in the ocean, and that it gave a new meaning to the term 'water-bed'.

I groaned, and dragged myself back to shore, still thinking about the dream I'd just had.

I avoided everyone as long as I could, until Haru and Toph cornered me in a field of what looked like clover. At any rate, I was making a necklace from it, just for something to do.

"We need to talk." Toph told me firmly, crossing her arms.

"Toph, _please_ don't kill me." I begged her, not moving from the flat rock that I was sitting on.

"I'm not here to kill you, I'm here to talk to you." Toph replied, sitting herself down on the grass.

"If it's about Katara, can we not?" I said. "I know she hates me, and she has every right to." I sighed. "I said some awful things to her."

"You did." Toph agreed. "But, I don't think that she hates you."

I looked up, surprised. "She doesn't?"

Haru shook his head, and leaned against the rock. "No. From the moment I met Katara, I knew that she isn't someone who's capable of feeling like that for people she cares about. In a way, she's kind of like me – the Fire Nation hurt us both and...sometimes we tend to associate certain people with what happened to us, even if they weren't directly involved."

Toph laid back on the grass. "That doesn't mean she hates you, though – she just gets upset when you defend Zuko, that's all."

"But..." I looked down at the necklace I was making. It was getting pretty long. "I can't help but defend Zuko from people. That doesn't mean that I don't care about Katara but I...well I..." I gulped. "I...love Zuko, too..."

Toph and Haru froze for a fraction of a second, before Toph started grinning. "Oh my Spirits," She said, sitting up fast. "I knew it! I so totally _knew_ it!" She pointed at me. "Ha! Sokka owes me five gold pieces for that one!"

"You gambled on somebody else's love-life?" Haru blinked.

Toph smirked. "Yup." She paused for a moment, and then said: "Hey, Emma, how far have you gotten with him?" I began to blush. "You've probably kissed him, but has he seen you naked yet? Have you seen _him_ naked? Have you...you know...?"

I gasped, unable to quite believe the turn this conversation had taken. "T-Toph!" I exclaimed, looking at Haru and then back to Toph again, mortified. "H-how can you say that in front of...? ! Y-yes, we've kissed, no I haven't seen him naked, though he's seen me without a top on before, but we haven't...aurgh!" I cried, burying my face in my hands. I paused, suddenly.

"Emma?" Haru sounded concerned. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, yes, I'm fine." Is aid calmly, in an icy-cold voice that made both Toph and Haru flinched. I directed my death glare at Haru. "_If_ any of this leaves this field, however, I will personally see to it that your budding relationship does not extend to having children. Do I make myself clear?"

Haru flinched. "Y-yes, Ma'am!"

Toph kicked his left shin. "_Don't_ be afraid of _her_!" She snapped...

_O~O~O~O_

**No One's P.O.V:**

_A young Katara ran through the village of ice and snow, intent on finding her Mother. She was scared – the Fire Nation Soldiers were evil! She needed her Mother's protection._

_She pushed aside the curtain to her family's hut, and cried: "Mum!" She froze suddenly, because her Mother was kneeling on the ground with her back to a wall, at the mercy of a tall Fire Nation Soldier, dressed in full-body armour save for his face._

_He turned to look at Katara, and she quivered with fear._

_Kya spoke then, her voice pleading but also strong. "Just let her go and I'll give you the information you want."_

_There was a horrific delicacy to the situation which Kya had not wished to encounter, but somehow, deep in her heart, she knew what she must do._

_"You heard your Mother." The soldier said gruffly. "Get out of here!"_

_Katara trembled. "Mum, I'm scared." She was looking to her Mother for reassurance. The Mother she had always turned to for help._

_"Go find your Dad, sweetie." Kya said, reassuringly, before her face took on a much more steady look. "I'll handle this."_

_She watched as her daughter took one, last frightened look at the soldier, before turning and running from the hut as fast as she could through the snow._

_The soldier turned back to Kya. "Now..."_

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I awoke suddenly, and looked around me, realising that I'd fallen asleep in the field of clover again, where I'd been sitting after Toph and Haru had left me.

I shook my head, and got up, walking back to our camp, where I met Suki and Sokka, who were watching Yang-Chong crack open some shelled-nuts for Momo.

"Hi." I greeted them tentatively, afraid that they might still be angry with me.

"Hey." Sokka's smile was reassuring, as was Suki's, as she invited me to sit down beside her.

"Thanks," I looked around. "Where is everyone?"

"Aang's meditating." Sokka replied promptly, just as one of the nuts went flying and hit him in the forehead.

Suki leaned over and kissed his forehead, before turning to me with a smile. "Toph and Haru are practicing their Earthbending, and Katara and Zuko..." She trailed off, suddenly, ehr smile fading.

I sighed. "Went to find the man who killed Kya..." I glanced at Sokka.

He nodded. "Do you know who he is?" He asked me.

"I know _if_ him," I replied. "I haven't met him, though. I don't _want_ to." I added firmly.

"Do you think Katara will...you know...?" Suki didn't want to say it, but I knew what she meant.

I looked down at the ground, and answered: "Before I yelled at her, I could have safely said that she wouldn't. Now, however..." I looked at Sokka, who looked worried. "I just dunno..." I stood up, and began walking away.

"Where are you going?" Suki wanted to know.

"I might go and find Aang, clear my head for a few hours like he's doing." I responded, not breaking my stride once.

_If Katara kills Yon Rha...I'll never be able to forgive myself if she murders a man..._

_O~O~O~O_

**No One's P.O.V:**

_"Now," Yon Rha looked back down at Kya. "Tell me. Who is it? Who's the last Waterbender?"_

_"There are no Waterbenders here." Kya lied, frowning. "The Fire Nation took them all away a long time ago."_

_Yon Rha replied: "You're lying. My source says there's one Waterbender left in The Southern Water Tribe." He took a step closer to her. "We're not leaving until we find the Waterbender."_

_Kya closed her eyes briefly, knowing in her heart of hearts what she would have to do. "If I tell you, do you promise to leave the rest of the village alone?" She opened her eyes and looked up, as Yon Rha nodded his head and made a small sound of agreement. "It's me." Kya proclaimed, her heart suddenly starting to beat a little bit faster. "Take me as your prisoner."_

_Yon Rha suddenly smiled, a little bit evilly. "I'm afraid I'm not taking prisoners today."_

_Kya's eyes opened wider suddenly, as a blade was plunged deep into her stomach. She jerked a little bit, blood coming out of her mouth, as the blade was moved upwards slightly, and then withdrawn, only to be stabbed into another part of her stomach._

_Kya's heart beat quickly, crying out in response to all of this, as her mouth refused to make a sound._

_She hit the snowy floor with a thud, and lay there, watching as Yon Rha's boots retreated, and then the man was gone._

_Looking at the gap of light beneath the cloth that served as a door, Kya's heart thudded painfully, heading towards its final beat._

_In her mind, she remembered the first time she had ever met Hakoda, and how much she loved him. He was her protector and, even though he wasn't going to be able to save her right now, she felt warmth in her heart, even though it was cold as well._

_Hakoda had given her two beautiful children. Her brave little Sokka, and her beautiful little Katara._

_'Hakoda...Sokka...Katara...this is bad...I know...I'm dying. Did I...love you three enough? Did I give you all I could have?'_

_Kya didn't _want_ to die. She wanted to be in her husband's arms, and kiss him once more. She wanted to grow old with him, like she had always dreamed of as a young woman. To grow old together, and watch the world they had created play out around them._

_She wanted to see her son grow up into a fine young warrior, and marry the girl of his dreams. She knew he would be as handsome as Hakoda, and that he would be as brave and strong._

_And Katara...her precious little Waterbender. Katara would be the most beautiful girl in the world and, more than anything, Kya wanted to stay with her, to be her best friend and confidant. She wanted to see her gorgeous little girl grow up to become a beautiful woman..._

_'I hope...you'll learn to forgive...that you'll always be strong...don't hate the era you were born into...and...most importantly...don't hate the Fire Nation...not all of them are bad...I'm sure that, out there somewhere...there's someone who's hurting just as much as you...have the strength to rise up from these hard times...Hakoda...please...don't forget about me...Sokka and Katara...grow up, my babies, and fall in love...follow your dreams...live life each day to the fullest that you can...goodbye...'_

_Kya closed her eyes, and she would never open them up again..._

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I awoke, screaming and sobbing, to find Aang, Sokka, Suki, Toph and Haru crowded around me.

"Emma!" Aang shook my shoulders. "Come on, Emma, snap out of it! What's wrong? !"

I gasped, and shook my head, holding onto either side of it with both hands. "I just saw...it was..." The tears cascaded down my face now, like two rivers. "The Spirits showed me that, they _wanted_ me to see that! To punish me?" I mused, burying my face in my hands. "Or...so that I could..." I stood up suddenly, and looked at Sokka. "Sokka, I need to talk to you, _now_!" I grabbed his hand, and dragged him away from the others.

"What's wrong?" Sokka looked confused, and also a little bit concerned.

"The only thing that's wrong," I said slowly, choosing my words carefully. "Is that Kya didn't get to tell you this for herself..."

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

We had decided to go to my family's vacation home on Ember Island. Who would have guessed that Emma would be right...?

Speaking of Emma...

As soon as Katara and I returned, after Katara had decided _not_ to kill Yon Rha, but had instead told him she would hate him for the rest of her life and would _never_ forgive him – though she forgave me – Emma came running up to meet us, and dragged Katara away.

I looked at Aang and Sokka. "Is she...okay?" I wanted to know.

Aang sighed. "She's been having some..._trouble_, in dealing with this situation...the Spirits showed her _exactly_ what happened on the day Katara and Sokka's Mother was murdered."

"Oh..." I felt an ache of sadness go through my heart. Just then, I looked up, to where Emma and Katara were standing on the beach. The waters were glowing gold from the sunset.

Emma was saying something to Katara, whose hands flew up to her mouth, before she hugged Emma fiercely. From where I was standing, I could see that both girls were crying.

Suddenly, Emma pointed at something out at the sea.

Katara turned, and her gasp was audible from where we were watching. There was nothing there though...or...was there?

There was something sparkling in the sunlight of the waters...it looked like the silhouette of a woman...

Sokka had gone very still, as had Katara.

"It's Mum..." The said in unison.

"I can see it..." Aang whispered.

"So can I..." I whispered back, shocked.

I looked at Emma, and she sensed my gaze and turned her head up to me, her eyes glittering in the same colour as the golden waters...

I heard her start to sing, in her wonderful, melodic voice.

"_Mamma__ You gave life to me Turned a baby into a lady  
>Mamma All you had to offer Was the promise of a lifetime of love Now I know There is no other Love like a mother's love for her child<br>And I know A love so complete Someday must leave Must say goodbye  
>Goodbye's the saddest word I'll ever hear Goodbye's the last time I will hold you near Someday you'll say that word and I will cry It'll break my heart to hear you say goodbye<br>Mamma You gave love to me Turned a young one into a woman  
>Mamma All I ever needed Was a guarantee of you loving me 'Cause I know There is no other Love like a mother's love for her child<br>And it hurts so That something so strong Someday will be gone, must say goodbye  
>Goodbye's the saddest word I'll ever hear Goodbye's the last time I will hold you near Someday you'll say that word and I will cry It'll break my heart to hear you say goodbye<br>But the love you gave me will always live You'll always be there every time I fall You are to me the greatest love of all You take my weakness and you make me strong And I will always love you 'til forever comes  
>And when you need me I'll be there for you always I'll be there your whole life through I'll be there this I promise you, Mamma<br>Mamma, I'll be I'll be your beacon through the darkest nights I'll be the wings that guide your broken flight I'll be your shelter through the raging storm And I will love you 'till forever comes  
>Goodbye's the saddest word I'll ever hear Goodbye's the last time I will hold you near Someday you'll say that word and I will cry It'll break my heart to hear you say goodbye<br>'Till we meet again Until then Goodbye_…"


	59. The World's A Stage

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE

The World's A Stage

_We had decided to go to my family's vacation home on Ember Island. Who would have guessed that Emma would be right...?_

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"Katara, Aang, everyone, I have some important news." I took a deep breath. "Okay, here goes...Zuko and I are getting married. He's going to become Fire Lord after the war ends, and I'm going to be his Fire Lady." I waited for a few moments, the silence unnerving me, before I finally collapsed to my knees, and begged: "Forgive me, please!" I looked at my reflection in the mirror, and sighed. Somehow, I didn't think that speech was gonna work.

I stood up, and tried a different approach. "Hey, Toph, guess what – I'm getting married! Has Haru proposed to you yet? We can get married on the same day!" I face-palmed. Toph would probably punch me in the face if I said that to her.

"Why is this so hard?" I complained, throwing my arms up in frustration. "_This is not good_!"

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

"_This is not good_!" A voice yelled from the house, accompanied by something that sounded suspiciously like somebody beating their head against a wall. "_Why can't I just say it properly_? ! _Am I a Priestess, or a Pauper_? !"

"What do you suppose that's all about?" I voiced my concern.

"Heh," Toph chuckled. "Sounds like Emma's having a nervous breakdown or something."

"Yeah, but what about?" Haru wondered.

"Something about Zuko, obviously." Toph shrugged.

At the fountain, Zuko was wiping his hair with a yellow towel. He cringed at this and, I noticed, his face seemed flushed. I narrowed my eyes. It wasn't just a result of his and Aang's workout now, was it?

We were hiding out from the Fire Lord at his own vacation home, which seemed a little odd to me, but Zuko assured me that his Father hadn't come here in years. He'd also mentioned that Emma had said something about this place a week or two ago, and that coming here seemed like the best option, since she'd said it. Hmmm...Zuko seemed _very_ eager to please her, at the moment...

"You guys are not gonna believe this!" My brother was hurrying towards us, along with Suki. "There's a play about us!"

What?

Suki was smiling. "We were just in town and we found this poster."

Sokka unveiled a poster, dramatically...

We all crowded around to have a look at it.

"What?" I blinked, as Aang leaned forwards, looking perplexed. "How is that possible?"

The poster showed a rather feminine-looking version of Aang, with an actress who looked like me on the left, and a "Sokka" on the right. In the background was an actor who looked like Zuko – except that the scar was on the wrong side – looking at an actress who looked like Emma.

"Listen to this." Sokka read from the poster: "_The Boy In The Iceberg_ is a new production from acclaimed playwright Pu On Tim, who scoured the globe gathering information on the Avatar from the icy South Pole to the heart of Ba Sing Se. His sources including singing nomads, pirates, prisoners of war, circus performers and a surprisingly knowledgeable merchant of cabbage."

Huh. I had always wondered what had happened to him...

"Brought to you by the critically acclaimed Ember Island Players." Suki finished the last line, as Sokka let go of the poster so that it curled up again.

"Ugh." Zuko groaned. "My Mother used to take us to see them. They butchered "Love Amongst The Dragons" every year." He shook his head.

"That's why it's so perfect for you and Emma!" Suki exclaimed.

Zuko rolled his eyes.

"Sokka," I addressed my brother, as Emma herself showed up, finally. There was a huge red mark on her forehead. "Do you really think it's a good idea for us to attend a play about ourselves?" Emma's eyes lit up.

"Come on, a day at the theatre!" Sokka grinned. "This is the kind of wacky time wasting nonsense I've been missing!" He threw his arm around Suki's shoulder. "You guy's in?" He wanted to know.

"Yeah!" Suki, Toph and Haru agreed.

"Well, okay..." I gave in.

Aang smiled. "Then I'm in too." He looked at me, and I blushed slightly, thinking about how he'd kissed me when we'd been about to invade the Fire Nation.

"Count me out." Zuko spoke up.

"Hmm..." Emma smiled, almost mischievously. "I always wanted to see this episode..."

Zuko looked at her, and blushed, ever-so-slightly. "Oh...okay, then..."

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Now, why didn't _I_ think of that?"

Toph snickered. "Emma and Zuko, sitting in the tree," She sang. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Emma and Zuko both turned red. Sokka joined in: "First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in the royal carriage!" They, Suki and Haru started laughing.

Emma and Zuko exchanged a startled glance...

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

We had a private viewing box at the theatre, which was pretty cool. It may even have been where the royal family sat, all those years ago. I didn't want to ask Zuko about it, though. I was still feeling embarrassed by the song.

_First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in the royal carriage..._

I couldn't help but glance sideways at Zuko, as he Toph and Katara took their seats, and Zuko dragged me to sit down beside him. I couldn't see his expression under his cloak, and I wondered what he was thinking. Probably not what I was...

"Hey, uh..."

Zuko and I looked up as Aang stood near us, looking sheepish. I realised then that he wanted to sit next to Katara, who was sitting in between Toph and Zuko. Haru, Suki and Sokka were sitting behind us.

"I wanted to sit...there." Aang looked uncomfortable.

"Are you implying that you don't want to sit beside my girlfriend?" Zuko said, only half-kidding.

Aang shifted nervously. "N-no, I just...wanted to...oh, never mind..." He settled for the seat behind me, instead.

Toph complained about where we were sitting, and Katara assured the blind girl that she'd let her know what was happening.

We all settled down, as the lights dimmed, and the play began.

I was very excited – I couldn't _wait_ to see how I was portrayed, although I sensed that I wouldn't like my character as much as Toph admired hers.

I was right.

After Katara's weepy, big-chested, hope-searching actress; Sokka's bad-joking, food-crazed actor; and Aang's trickster actress, it was mine and Zuko's turn.

Zuko's ship entered, with the actor Zuko poised near its front, looking through a telescope.

After the actor finished getting annoyed with his Uncle, a bright pink light filled the stage.

"_This is it_!" I whispered, unable to keep the excitement out of my voice.

"_Kyaa_!" A high-pitched scream filled the room, and a small black-clad figure jumped/fell from one of the support beams above the stage. She landed on the actor Zuko, knocking him down, and sat on his back as she looked around her in awe. "Wh-where _am_ I? !" She exclaimed, still in that high-pitched voice.

_Oh no...they DIDN'T_... I mentally cursed myself for this part.

My actress looked a little bit like me, except she'd been made too...well, _pretty_. From the big-chest, right down to the mini-skirt...what the hell? And, what was with the high-pitched voice? Is that _really_ what I sounded like? !

"Who the hell are you?" Actor Zuko said, roughly pushing my actress off of him.

She looked up at him, and then sobbed. "M-my name's...Emma!" She buried her face in her hands, and her shoulders shook with exaggerated crying. "And...I'm a...Priestess!"

"Finally," Katara whispered. "Somebody's actress cries more than mine..."

"Hmm..." I was annoyed at this. "I don't cry _that_ much..." A sudden thought struck me. "_Do_ I?" I asked Zuko.

"You're getting a lot better." He assured me, putting an arm around my shoulders.

"Still," Actor Zuko seemed to be appraising my actress. "You're pretty cute..." He attempted to put his arm around the shoulders of my actress.

"Get away from me, you pervert!" Actress Emma whipped out a big golden fan and used it to send Actor Zuko flying into the "ocean".

"Good form!" Actress Suki and Actor Iroh piped up.

The Suki Actress reminded me of...well, of Ai. They'd decided that our Suki was a tomboy, or a transvestite, or something. She (he?) was wearing lipstick – a _lot_ of it – and scary-looking facepaint.

"Are those...accurate portrayals?" Haru whispered, sounding shocked.

I beat my head on the railing in front of me a few times.

_O~O~O~O_

It didn't get much better from there.

Actor Blue Spirit 'saved' Actress Aang, before Actress Red Bear attempted to stop them, and Actor Zuko dragged her offstage, saying something about being a traitor.

_That_ part was actually really confusing...

Actor Haru appeared to be overly feminine, and I couldn't help but giggle, thinking of Avatar Abridged. He didn't say it but, all the while, I was thinking: 'I must flee...sexily...'.

Actor Zhao (there was an Actor Zhao?) attempted to "protect" my actress from Actor Zuko, saying that the Fire Lord would protect her from his perverted son, but then he was "killed" by Actor Zuko.

"I can't stand the sight of you, jerk!" Actress Emma "slapped" Actor Zuko, before bursting into tears and running from the stage. A moment later, she reappeared, along with a yellow chicken hand-puppet. "Where should we go now, Yang-Chong? I _must_ find a way to get to the Fire Nation, where I will be safe..." She tilted her head to one side, and pretended to listen to the bird. "Oh, you're right! If I join the Avatar, he'll lead me straight to the Fire Lord! Yay!" She then began to sing: "_La-la-la-la-laaaa..._" She actually had an okay voice, but that wasn't really the _point_ now, was it?

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

"So far, this intermission is the best part of the play." I said. We were sitting on some steps during intermission, voicing our opinions.

"Uh, actually," Emma was sitting next to me, with her legs tucked up to her chest. "That's _about_ what I expected..." She frowned. "Except for my character being an emo mess, who actually _wants_ to find the Fire Lord..." She shuddered, and I looked at her sympathetically. "Plus," She straightened up. "I am _not_ that high-pitched!"

I rolled my eyes. She may not be able to hear it, but she could get pretty high-pitched when she was yelling. The Wolf-Bats would agree with me. In order to appease her, though, I just said: "Don't worry – everyone's just as upset as you are."

She glared at me.

Sokka returned from the snack bar, sat down next to Suki, and said: "Apparently, the playwright thinks I'm an idiot who tells bad jokes about food all the time." He took a strip of Meat-Jerky out of the bag he was holding.

"Yeah, you tell bad jokes about plenty of other topics." Suki nodded.

"I know!" Sokka agreed. "And, why is your actor a boy?"

"Ah, that was a _woman_, Sokka." Suki told him, and Sokka gaped.

"At least her actress kinda looks like her," Aang spoke up, which earned him a glare from the Kyoshi Warrior. "That woman playing the Avatar doesn't resemble me at all." He sighed dejectedly.

I knew how he felt – was _this_ how the world _really_ saw us?

"I don't know," Toph stood in front of Aang. "You _are_ more in touch with your feminine side than most guys." She (somehow) pointed to Haru. "Except for you, Rocky." Haru smiled nervously.

"Relax, Aang," Katara said from the top of the stairs. "They're not accurate portrayals. It's not like I'm a preachy cry-baby who can't resist giving overemotional speeches about hope all the time." We all stared at her. "What?"

"Yeah, that's not you at all." Aang agreed, not really meaning it.

"Listen, friends," Toph, ever the diplomatic one, said. "It's obvious that the playwright did his research." She nodded firmly. "I know it must hurt, but what you're seeing up there on that stage is the truth."

_O~O~O~O_

'The Truth' turned out to be that people saw Toph as a guy...a really _buff_ guy...

She was thrilled with her character.

She was about the only one who appreciated her portrayal, though.

Well, I guessed that, had my sister been here, she would have been quite impressed with her actress, even though they'd donned her in pink, not red.

Kai's character was also fairly well portrayed, although she came across as a lot more temperamental than she was, which was saying a lot. She was also overly pregnant, almost obscenely-so...

"I will kill them all." Emma muttered, quite clearly.

I looked at her.

"That's what Kai would say if she could see this." Emma replied.

I nodded. I didn't disagree with her there...

The play went on.

At one point, I muttered, in shock: "Did Jet just...die?"

"You know, it was really unclear." Sokka replied.

Onstage, Actress Kai screamed: "Nooo, Jet! I will kill them all!" She was stopped by my sister's actress, though.

Emma and I exchanged a glance.

During the scene in the Crystal Catacombs, something very interesting happened.

"I have to admit, Prince Zuko, I really find you attractive." Actress Katara purred.

The scene progressed awkwardly from there. Katara and I looked at each other, and slid away from each other. Emma had her head in one hand, and was shaking her head. Her shoulders shook. I couldn't tell whether she was laughing or crying.

Aang got up and left at some point, then.

When my actor chose to fight alongside Actress Azula, Katara asked me if I'd really said what the actor said.

"I might as well have." I muttered. This was bringing back all of the shame that I felt. It was horrible...

The actresses playing Mai and Ty-Lee made their entrances, and then my "sister" was back.

Aang's Actress said: "Avatar State, yip yip!"

"Not if my lightning can help it!" Actress Azula called, and various parts of her and "Aang" were glowing in the dark.

She threw a streak of blue cloth at "Aang", who "died".

Actress Emma rushed onto the stage then, and began sobbing. "No!" She sobbed over the "Avatar's" fallen body. "Why does everyone keep dying? Nobody loves me – my parents hate me, everyone hates me! And now...now...I'll never find a way to the Fire Nation now!" She was practically in hysterics.

"Don't worry!" Actress Azula came up and put an arm around the sobbing girl's shoulder. "We will take you with us! I always wanted a sister!"

Actress Emma smiled. "And _I_ always wanted a sister who didn't hate me!"

"Azula" smiled. "The Avatar is no more!" She exclaimed, stricking a final pose along with Mai and Ty-Lee.

As the audience cheered, the real Emma got up and followed in Aang's wake...

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I stood out on the balcony overlooking the sea, trying to figure out what I was feeling. My right hand was clutching at my left shoulder, where the Fire Lord's burn-mark was.

"Stupid Fire Nation Propaganda." I muttered, and then I heard footsteps behind me.

"Yeah, I know, right?" Haru had come to find me. I knew where everyone else was: Sokka was with Suki, sneaking backstage; Aang and Katara were having an argument on a different balcony; and Toph was reassuring Zuko.

Haru leaned his elbows on the railing. "You never wanted to go to the Fire Nation, did you?"

I shook my head. "No...well, yes...not exactly..." I sighed. I wasn't making much sense. "Okay, what I mean was, I knew that what the Fire Lord was doing was bad, but I didn't want to hold that against an entire nation, because it's not their fault. I didn't want to go near Ozai, though..."

Haru nodded thoughtfully. "I suppose I can understand that...I know that my village suffered through the war, but I'm starting to realise now that it isn't everyone's fault. It was the Fire Lord, and his soldiers. We were oppressed by them for far too long."

I half-smiled. That was one of his actor's lines. Then, I frowned. "The issue I have is that, at least in regards to some of the things that happen to my character, they're basically _lying_. Azula and Zhao never said half those things to me, I was captured by the Fire Nation and taken against my will, and I _never_ set out to find _safety_ with _Ozai_..." I shuddered.

"Yeah, but you said so yourself," Haru said. "That it's Fire Nation Propaganda. They aren't exactly going to tell the truth."

"They're not gonna lie, but they're not gonna tell the truth, either." I sighed, and shook my head. "Come on, let's go back inside..."

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

When Aang and I got back to our seats, we found that everyone – especially Emma – was in a fairly bad mood, with the exception of Toph and Sokka.

"Here's what you missed," My brother said. "We went to the Fire Nation; Aang got better; Katara was the Painted Lady; I got a sword; and I think Combustion Man died. Then, at the same time, Emma and Zuko went to the Royal Palace; Kai and the others broke out of jail; Kai had two babies; the Fire Lord adopted Emma; and Ty-Lee told a scary story about food."

I was stunned.

The "Invasion" started, and they turned "Aang" kissing me into a hand-shake between "almost-siblings".

I was sad – I didn't know about my feelings for Aaang, and he was upset because he thought I was in love with Zuko. What the Underworld was _that_ all about?

"Hey, Toph," Actor Sokka said to Actor Toph. "Would you say you and Haru have a...rocky relationship? !"

The real Sokka was the only one who found that funny.

Actor Zuko wanted to join the group, and mentioned that he was bringing his "almost-sister" along with him, but then stage-whispered darkly that he was really kidnapping her.

"I guess that's it." My brother stood up. "The play's caught up to the present now."

Suki grabbed him, and dragged him back down. "Wait. The play's not over."

"But, it _is_ over..." My brother came to a startling revelation. "Unless...this is the _future_!"

_O~O~O~O_

**Haru's P.O.V:**

I saw everyone lean forwards then, nervous to see what the "future" held for us all.

Here's what happened:

Actor Ozai and Actress Azula decided to use the power of the comet to win.

Actor Zuko faced off against Actress Azula, in order to claim the throne and decide the fate of their "almost-sister", who happened to be tied up right then.

Actor Zuko "died" as he was yelling: "Honour!".

The real Zuko was stunned, and the real Emma cringed, as her actress hugged Actress Azula fiercely and said: "Thank you so much, dear sister!" In a shrill voice, before starting to sing.

The worst part was, however, when Actress Aang was "killed" by Actor Ozai.

The Avatar...dies?

"It is over, Father!" Actress Azula proclaimed. "We've done it!"

"Yes!" Actress Emma sobbed. "Thank you, Father!"

Actor Ozai then proceeded to announce that the world now belonged to him...

_O~O~O~O_

We walked along the beach after the play had finished, heading back to the beach house.

"That...wasn't a good play." Zuko was in the lead.

"I'll say." Aang agreed, following.

"No kidding." Katara was walking a few paces behind Aang.

"Horrible." Suki was walking arm-in-arm with Sokka, who added: "But the effects were decent."

"They were?" Toph shrugged. "Meh..."

Emma, who was walking in front of me, suddenly stopped, and I nearly walked into her.

"What's wrong?" I asked her.

The others stopped and turned around.

"They completely lied!" Emma exclaimed, and her voice shook, whether with anger or tears, I couldn't tell.

Zuko could, though, and he came hurrying back to her. "Ssh, it's okay." He soothed.

"No, it _isn't_!" Emma stamped her foot angrily, causing the ground to shudder slightly, which was fairly impressive, since we were standing on sand and all. "How could they have said all of that? ! The Fire Lord didn't want to _adopt_ me, he wanted to _marry_ me!" We all stared at her in shock, except for Zuko, who had gone pale in the moonlight. "He _kissed_ me, and even attempted to _rape_ me, and then he freaking _burnt_ me!" Emma yanked down the sleeve of her robes, to reveal a burn-mark on her left shoulder, in the shape of the Fire Nation insignia. She buried her face in Zuko's chest, and we knew then that she was sobbing.

I met Zuko's gaze over the top of Emma's head, and saw something fiercely burning in his eyes. I recognized the look, and I admired it also. I no longer needed to question his devotion to her, or his loyalty to us.

"It's okay," Zuko said, strongly. "He's not marrying you, remember? _I_ am."

We all gasped.

Emma nodded, and looked up at him. "Th-that's right..." She wiped her eyes with the back of her right hand, since her left hand had that Dragon Ring on it.

"See, you _are_ getting a lot better at not crying." Zuko reassured her, kissing her gently.

"When did this happen?" Katara wanted to know.

"When we were at the Western Air Temple." Emma replied. "There was a hidden courtyard, and a weird dais that's now broken, and some white light..."

Aang froze.

"Wait, wait, wait..." Toph held up her hands. "You two are...getting...married?"

Emma and Zuko both nodded.

Toph cheered then, and punched her fists into the air, before pointing directly at Sokka's chest. "Woo-hoo! Sokka, you owe me a _mountain_ of gold, now!"


	60. Burning Love

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER SIXTY

Burning Love

_Toph snickered. "Emma and Zuko, sitting in the tree," She sang. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Emma and Zuko both turned red. Sokka joined in: "First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in the royal carriage!" _

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I watched Aang's training with a mixture of sternness and frustration. His Firebending was good, I had to admit. It was hard to believe that he'd only been learning for about a week and a half now. However, he still lacked the certain ferocity that was needed for Firebending.

There's a reason that the very first Firebenders were Dragons, after all...

And, speaking of which...

I was very aware of the Comet's imminent approach, and what would happen if Aang hadn't defeated my Father by that stage. I knew one other person who was equally as aware of this impending doom as I was and, every time I looked at her, I couldn't ignore the way my heart seemed to back-flip.

Why had I not noticed half this stuff before? ! Back when we were on my ship, and I was yelling at her all the time and calling her a mouse, and when she was getting angry at me for being a stubborn Prince, why hadn't I noticed her for what she really was? When I'd compared her to Mai, I hadn't really known what I was doing. When I'd gone out with Mai, I _really_ hadn't known what I was doing.

But now, looking at Emma's sun-tanned skin, as she practiced her warrioress-techniques with Suki...the way Emma moved effortlessly, proving that she'd learned a lot since she'd come to this world...the way the little beads of sweat glistened off of her bare neck, like tiny jewels...

I blinked, and focused my attention back on my training session with Aang.

He was still lacking the ferocity to roar like a Tiger-Dillo and, on an impulse, I called Emma over.

"Show the Avatar how it's done..." I ordered her, and she raised an eyebrow. "Please?"

Emma smiled, and turned swiftly. She opened her mouth and roared, unleashing a strong wave of Firebending from both her hands and mouth. For half a second, she wasn't a woman, but a Dragon, and I remembered the power of our combined Firebending, back at the prison. There was no doubt about it – my fiancée was incredible...

When it was Aang's turn, he copied Emma's movements almost exactly and, happily, his ferocity-level had increased.

Momo was terrified, but Yang-Chong was in his element. I noticed that his plumage was increasingly brighter these days, and knew that he was reaching his prime. He basked in Aang's Firebending.

Emma and I looked at each other, and nodded in approval.

Just then, Katara emerged from the beach house with glasses of watermelon juice.

"Come on, _Sifu_ Zuko!" Aang complained, as I held onto the back of his robes. "How about a quick break?"

"You just had one ten minutes ago." I reminded him, sternly.

"But I'm thirsty!"

Despite my best efforts to keep Aang's mind on his training, he still ended up sitting on the steps, taking a break.

"Fine," I said, frustrated. "If you want to lounge around like a bunch of Snail-Sloths all day, then go ahead!" I turned and walked away angrily, aware of Emma watching my worriedly.

What was _wrong_ with these people? ! If they knew what I knew, they wouldn't be so relaxed! If Aang didn't get a grip and start training properly, then he wasn't going to be able to defeat my Father, and stop him from destroying theEarthKingdom...

_O~O~O~O_

**Aang's P.O.V:**

I thought I was going to have a heart attack when Zuko attacked me. It was just like the old days, only ten times worse, because I didn't know _why_ he was doing it now!

I eventually managed to stop him, and hurried to the spot where Zuko had landed after I'd Airbended him out of the beach house. Katara, Suki, Sokka, Toph and Haru joined us.

Emma was there in an instant, helping Zuko to his feet.

"Guys," She said, reasonably, like she had been expecting this to happen (and, I realise, she probably had). "Don't get upset with Zuko, he didn't know that you were planning to wait until _after_ Sozin's Comet to take on the Fire Lord."

"What? !" Zuko looked stunned. "Why didn't you tell me he was planning on waiting?"

Emma shook her head. "Because you guys aren't allowed to rely on my knowledge like that." She looked uncomfortable. "I told you that at the start, remember?"

We all nodded.

Katara explained: "The whole point of fighting the Fire Lord _before_ the Comet was to stop the Fire Nation from winning the war. But, they pretty much _won_ the war when they took Ba Sing Se." She lowered her head, worried. "Things can't get any worse."

Emma and Zuko exchanged a glance. They stared into each other's eyes, as if they could read one another's minds or something.

Zuko turned to us. "You're wrong. It's about to get worse than you can even imagine..."

_O~O~O~O_

"In short," Emma summed everything up for us at the end of Zuko's speech. "Fire Lord Ozai is going to use the power of Sozin's Comet to do to theEarthKingdomwhat his Great-Grandfather Sozin did to the Air Nomads." She looked directly at me when she said that. Her golden eyes were burning with a mixture of concern and anger.

Katara was soothing, though. She told me that I didn't have to do this alone.

Sokka was enthusiastic. "Alright!" He cheered. "Team Avatar is back!" he began pointing to us. "Air!" I blinked. "Water!" Katara rolled her eyes. "Metal!" Toph nodded. "Earth!" Haru smiled. "Fire!" Zuko crossed his arms. "Pink Light!" Emma looked surprised. Sokka picked up a leaf palm and handed it to Suki, whilst thrusting a blade of leaf into the air. "Fan and sword!"

Well, when he put it like that...maybe we really _could_ win this war...?

_O~O~O~O_

There was just one problem, and it was something I'd been thinking about a lot lately, ever since Katara had made the decision to not kill the man who murdered her Mother.

Was I just supposed to kill the Fire Lord? How could I take someone's life away?

I knew that this was the _Fire Lord_ we were talking about, the man who burned his own son and then sent his daughter to take hold of the city of Ba Sing Se and all that, but still...that didn't mean that his life held any less value than, say, _Katara's_. It just meant that his was a different life, but still a life, nonetheless...

Killing Fire Lord Ozai would go against everything that the monks taught me, everything I stood for as an Air Nomad...as the _last_ Air Nomad, I think is what Emma had implied.

Then again, Emma had also said it might help me to ready myself for this if I didn't call the Fire Lord by his real name. Calling him by his name, she said, would make the whole thing seem more real and, at the last moment, I might hesitate to do what I had to do.

Zuko had seemed impressed by this. "You sound just like a real assassin." He'd told her.

She'd shrugged. "Meh...I read a lot of books..."

In the end, I lost my temper with everyone, especially Katara, and stormed off to be by myself.

I needed time to think about this, and I didn't want to turn into an assassin...

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

"He's worried." Emma said, looking out at the moon that was reflected on the flat, black sea.

I nodded. "I know. I don't know what more we can tell him, though." I was sitting on my bed-roll, wearing only a pair of three-quarter-length pants, since it was late and we needed to be up early the next day.

"We can't really do much more for him. He needs to figure it out for himself. Have faith in him, Zuko." Emma replied, matter-of-factly, turning around and resting her elbows on the window-sill. Silhouetted by the moonlight, the robes that she was wearing were practically see-through.

I didn't mean to stare.

She became aware of it, and blushed, self-consciously. "What?" She asked, fiddling with the necklace that she wore.

"You're so beautiful." I told her simply, and watched as she gulped.

"H-hey, Zuko," She said, a little nervously. "Y-you know...I-I've been thinking...lately...a-about the s-song that Toph sang yesterday, and then Katara found your Dad's baby picture...umm..."

I could suddenly see where this was going. My heart-rate increased, and something that had always lain dormant inside of me stirred. "The war will probably be over soon..." I mused, and she nodded in agreement. "And then...we'll be married..." I looked at her, feeling a deep, strong longing in my heart all of a sudden. "We'll be expected to...carry on the lineage of the Royal Family..."

"One of the things about being married to a Prince?" Emma guessed, fiddling with her hands now. She was fidgeting nervously, and I knew why. I could read her so well, like she was an open book and, at that moment, I wanted to know _everything_ about her. I wanted to be the man that made her his and, from the way things were going, I could sense that she wanted to be mine.

She walked over to me then, and knelt beside me. Her lips met mine in a kiss, which was hesitant at first, but then deepened.

I put my arms around her waist, drawing her in closer to me. She put her hands on my chest, running her fingers down to my stomach muscles. Her touch was so soft and gentle, and it made me tremble slightly to know that she loved me.

A sudden thought occurred to me then that neither one of us actually knew what we were doing, but I was fairly certain that we could figure it out as we went.

I noticed that she looked pale, and reached out to touch her forehead. "What's wrong?" I asked her.

She looked at me. "Zuko…" She seemed embarrassed. "It's not that I _don't_ want to…umm…you know…" She blushed. "It's just that…I…I don't know how to explain it…"

I kissed her gently. "We'll wait, then." I told her, feeling slightly relieved that I wouldn't have to let her know how inexperienced I was that night. If I ever got to speak to Uncle again, I'd ask him for help on this matter.

"Are you sure?" She whispered.

I nodded. "We'll have the rest of our lives after the war is over. I promised you that, didn't I?"

She sighed. "That's right." She let her hand trail down the scar on my face for a moment, before getting up and walking towards the door. She turned around before leaving, and said: "Goodnight, Zuko."

"Goodnight, Emma." I replied, and watched her walk away.

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

_That was a close one…_ I thought, leaning with my back against the wall of the room that I was staying in. _If I ever get to talk to Karai again, I'll ask her for advice…_

I sighed, and envisioned myself asking for advice on how to do IT with the man I loved more than anything. As I got dressed, putting on the clothes I knew I'd need to wear, I thought: _I don't know how I'm feeling at the moment…but…I'm sure I'll find out in the next few days or so…_

I closed my eyes briefly for a moment, and then opened them again when I felt Yang-Chong land on my shoulder. I nodded, and left to find Aang.

_O~O~O~O_

**Haru's P.O.V:**

The next morning, we all got up early, and were getting ready to set off, when we realised that Aang and Emma were both missing.

We searched everywhere for them, but found only Aang's staff and Emma's pendant. Then, on the beach, we found two sets of footprints that were leading into the sea.

Sokka suggested that definitely they were on a Spirit World Journey.

But, Zuko mentioned that their bodies would still be here. I looked at him. His face had gone slightly pale, and he kept looking at the Dragon Ring on his left hand. I knew how he must feel, having his fiancée going missing right before the battle that could decide the fate of the whole entire world.

Oh, and the messiah going missing, too…

Katara suggested that we split up and look for Aang and Emma. Sokka volunteered to search from the skies with Appa.

In half a second, Toph had zipped over to Zuko, and latched onto his arm. "I'm going with Zuko!" We stared. "What? Everyone else went on a life-changing fieldtrip with Zuko. Now it's my turn!" She hugged him happily.

I made my decision. "Then, I'll go too." I announced.

Toph shrugged. "Meh, the more the merrier." She replied.

"Come on then." Said Katara, who was going with Suki. "Let's hurry up and find them."

_O~O~O~O_

We didn't find them. We returned to the beach house, and that was when Toph (who didn't get any advice from Zuko in regards to her rough childhood) realised that Momo and Yang-Chong were also missing.

Sokka immediately lost it. "Oh no! I knew it was only a matter of time! Appa ate Momo and Yang-Chong!" He attempted to crawl into the bison's mouth. "Momo! Yang-Chong! I'm coming for you guys!"

"Sokka," Katara said calmly. "Appa didn't eat them. They're probably with Aang and Emma. You know Emma and Yang-Chong usually go everywhere together." She reminded her brother.

"That's just what Appa wants you to think!" Sokka's voice was muffled from inside of Appa's mouth. I had a feeling that this was only going to end in a sticky way…

I was right. Sokka slid out of Appa's mouth, covered in bison saliva.

Everyone else was looking at Zuko.

"What?" He wanted to know why he had to be the one to find our missing friends.

"Well, you _are_ kind of the expert on tracking Aang." Katara said, reasonably.

"Yeah," Toph nodded. "If anyone's got experience hunting the Avatar, it's you. Plus, you have some weird, crazy, psychic connection with Emma – you should be able to find them both." She crossed her arms decisively, as Sokka attempted to get up, and slipped over.

Zuko looked down, and put a hand up to the scarred side of his face. He seemed upset about something, something much more than just our current situation.

_O~O~O~O_

**Azula's P.O.V:**

"Come on slowpokes, faster!" I snapped, wanting the palanquin bearers to catch up to my Father. Honestly, what was wrong with people these days?

Something about this reminded me of my so-called best friends' betrayal. Mai and Ty-Lee…they'd been with me since I was young, and now…they were traitors to the Fire Nation…I had thrown them in the prison instead of killing them but, still…everyone was leaving me. Mother had left, my brother had betrayed us, my best friends had chosen to follow in their footsteps…

And now, it seemed, my own Father was going to go off to war and leave me here!

"I've decided to lead the fleet of airships to Ba Sing Se _alone_." Father said. "You will remain here in the Fire Nation."

"But I thought we were going to do this together!" I exclaimed, feeling anger and stubbornness welling up inside of me, but also something else…fear.

The fear of being left alone.

"My decision is _final_." Father said sternly.

"You can't treat me like this!" I cried, in desperation, but it must have sounded more like I was whining. "You can't treat me like Zuko!"

I wanted to ask him not to leave me, but I knew I couldn't say that to him.

"Azula, silence yourself." Father frowned. The government officials were trying to look as if they weren't listening to us, but I could tell that they were. I didn't care, though.

"But, it was my idea to burn everything to the ground!" I reminded Father. "I deserve to be by your side!" Even as I spoke, some part of me knew that I wasn't acting like somebody who deserved to accompany her Father into the war, but I was beyond reasoning by this stage. Why was this happening? !

"Azula!" Father's voice was sharp, and I recognized it instantly. He had lost his patience. I lowered my head in obedience, and closed my eyes, silently begging him not to burn me. "Listen to me…" Father said, a little more gently. "I need you here to watch over the homeland. It's a very important job," I opened my eyes. "That I can only entrust to you."

Father trusted me with our entire nation? "Really?" I couldn't believe it.

And, that was when my Father told me that I would be the new Fire Lord.

I gasped a little. "Fire Lord Azula?" I smiled. I liked the sound of that. How long had I wanted to be Fire Lord, only to know that my older brother would one day become Fire Lord? When Father had banished Zuko, however, I'd started to have a little hope that, somehow, this day would come. "But, what about you?"

"Fire Lord Ozai is no more." Father declared, and the Fire Sages stepped forwards with some new armour for him. It was golden and impressive-looking. "Just as the World will be reborn in fire, _I_ shall be reborn…as the Supreme Ruler of the World! From this moment on, I will be known as…The Phoenix King!"

There was a banner behind him, of a large maroon and golden phoenix. That reminded me of something.

"What about Emma?" I asked my Father.

Father looked down at me, and there was a strange glittering look in his eyes. "Emma will return to us…she will come here, on the day of the Comet."

"How do you know?" I was surprised.

"I just do…" Father looked out at the reddening sky. "I know her…and, Azula, when she does, you must greet your to-be Step-Mother…I entrust you with ensuring that she is here when I return."

I bowed respectfully. "I will do that, Father." I replied, even though I didn't want to.

I did _not_ want Emma as a Step-Mother! She _couldn't_ replace my Mother, no matter what anybody said about her resemblance to the once Fire Princess Ursa!

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

"And…" Katara glanced sideways at me. "The reason you brought us to a seedyEarthKingdomtavern is what now?"

I looked around, and that was when I spotted her. Pale-faced, with make-up, and raven hair, she was currently drinking tea and disarming a large man at the same time.

Katara followed my gaze. "Umm…okay, who is she?"

"That's June," An old man near to us said, looking slightly nervous. "She's a bounty-hunter, but you don't wanna get involved with her!" I noticed that he had a black eye, and was missing several teeth. "Beware the bounty-hunter!"

"Hey, are you gonna be okay?" Sokka wanted to know.

"Beware…" The man backed out of the tavern. "Beware the bounty-hunter!"

Haru, Sokka, Suki, Katara and I watched him go. Then, the others looked at me.

I shrugged. "Emma said that this girl has a giant Shirshu that can pick up on any scent in the whole entire world – and then track it."

"For a bounty-hunter, that's gotta be useful." Sokka agreed, and then ducked, as a man was thrown across the room and out the door.

June smiled a little smugly, and sat down again.

"I don't know who this June lady is, but I like her." Toph smiled.

"Yeah, you _would_…" Katara rolled her eyes, as we all approached the bounty-hunter…

June looked up as we all approached. "Who are you?" She wanted to know.

I looked at the others, to let them know that I would handle this. I faced June, and said: "I am Prince Zuko, of the Fire Nation. I need you to track down somebody for us…two somebody's, actually."

"Hmm…" June regarded me thoughtfully. "Doesn't sound too fun." She replied calmly.

I was a little bit angry at this. This was my fiancée we were talking about! Oh, and the messiah…

Which was my next best bet. I got right up close to June, and said: "Does the end of the World sound like more fun?"

June paused, and then said: "Let's take this outside."

_O~O~O~O_

"Sounds a little interesting, when you put it that way." June admitted, after I'd told her the story of what was going on. "Especially tracking down your Priestess girlfriend who's from a different world…very interesting…still…" She examined her black fingernails, and I was reminded of Mai. "I dunno…I don't work for free, you know…"

"Hey!" Katara sounded irritated. "There are some things that are more important than that!"

"Not in my world, honey." June replied casually. She glanced at me. "Well, Princy, what's your price."

I smirked a little bit, and gestured to our little group. "Our combined weight in gold." I announced.

June looked at us all, considering, and then her eyes fell on Appa, who was growling at a large brown Mole-like creature. "Hmm…throw in the Bison's weight, and you've got a deal."

"Done." I agreed, and we shook hands.

"Now," June went over to the Shirshu, and patted it affectionately. "Here's how this works – I need something with the scent of the person we're tracking on it, preferably from both of them. Then, Nyla can sniff them out, no matter where in the world they are."

Okay, I had to admit, that was pretty impressive. I held out Emma's necklace, and Katara supplied Aang's staff.

Nyla sniffed at both objects, before circling a few times, and then she stood in front of June and lowered herself to the ground, rubbing at her snout with her paws.

"I see…" June said quietly.

"What?" I wanted to know, urgently. "What does it mean?"

"I'm sorry to be the one to have to tell you this," June said, not sounding terribly sorry at all. "But, your girlfriend's gone." She glanced at the others. "Oh, and the Avatar's gone too. As in, they don't exist anymore."

I froze. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"I don't _know_, okay?" June was exasperated, as she mounted her Shirshu. "If they were dead, we'd still be able to find them, but we can't so they're not! That should appease you a little bit, shouldn't it?" We just stared at her. She sighed. "Look, I wish I could help you more, I really do!"

"Wait, maybe you _can_ help us more!" I said suddenly. I had _one_ more idea but, in the back of my mind, I was wondering what had happened to Emma…had she gone back to her own world?

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

"Why have you brought me here?" Aang looked at the forest around us. "Wait…where _is_ here?" He turned back to me.

"Firstly, I _didn't_ bring you here, you brought yourself." I pointed out. "And, secondly, I think we're supposed to find that out for ourselves."

Aang nodded. We were standing in a forested area, facing each other. Momo was on Aang's shoulder, and Yang-Chong was on mine. We both began walking.

All the while, I was watching Aang patiently, knowing that soon would come the turning point.

Our search took us to a hexagon, where Aang felt a spiritual connection with some none-earth rock. He decided to meditate, and I stepped out of the hexagon, to watch, listen…and wait…

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

Our search took us to Ba Sing Se, where June and her Shirshu left us. In the morning we were attacked, of course.

Luckily, Katara and Sokka seemed to know them all.

A Water Tribe elder was named Pakku and, it turned out, he was Katara and Sokka's new Grandfather! This took them by surprise but, I remembered from Emma's stories, Pakku was a Waterbending Master.

Jeong Jeong was also old, and turned out to be Aang's first Firebending teacher. I bowed respectfully to him.

Sokka bowed to another Fire Nation elder, and addressed him as Master Piandao. This turned out to be his sword-fighting teacher.

When Suki wanted to know how they all knew each other, the fourth man, a slightly crazy-looking old guy, remarked that all old people know each other. Something about him made me think that he was King Bumi, of Omashu…Emma had mentioned to me once that he was slightly insane, but a good guy nonetheless…

Haru greeted Bumi respectfully, and Bumi bowed back, albeit a little bit comically.

"We're all part of the same ancient secret society. A group that transcends the divisions of the four nations." Piandao said.

I smiled suddenly. "The Order Of The White Lotus." Never again would I question what my Uncle said.

Jeong Jeong went on to explain that The White Lotus has always been about philosophy, beauty and truth, and that about a month ago, they had been summoned by…my Uncle, a Grand Lotus.

Toph was nodding. "Well, that's who we're looking for."

Piandao said that we would be escorted to where my Uncle was. My heart thudded painfully then. Was I prepared to face the man I had betrayed, again? I didn't know…I wished Emma was here…

"Wait," Bumi said suddenly. "Someone's missing from your group. Someone very important…where's…Momo?"

I rolled my eyes. Yes, Emma had been right, as usual.

"He's gone." Sokka replied. "And, so is Aang." He added, as an afterthought.

"Oh well, so long as they have each other, I'm sure we have nothing to worry about." Bumi shrugged.

Katara put a hand on my shoulder, as if reading my thoughts. "I'm sure Emma and Yang-Chong are fine, as well." She told me calmly.

Pakku looked concerned. "Emma is missing?" Katara nodded. "I see…I am sure she will be fine, though…she is a strong young woman…"

_O~O~O~O_

It turned out that The Order had taken back Ba Sing Se on the day of the eclipse.

When we arrived at their camp (old people camp, as Bumi had called it) I asked, hesitantly, where 'he' was.

They all knew who I meant, and Piandao pointed out my Uncle's tent.

I wasn't sure if I could do it, until a voice said: "Zuko? !"

We all looked up. A group of people had just emerged from another tent.

Three wereEarthKingdom, and the rest were Fire Nation.

The speaker was a small young woman with short black hair, and a baby in her arms. Her scarlet eyes glittered, and she passed the baby to a tall man, before running towards me.

I dodged instinctively, but she twisted, and caught my ankle with her foot, throwing me to the ground where she pinned me.

"Zuko!" Kai exclaimed, with a mixture of disbelief and joy. "I wondered when I'd see your sorry scarred face again, Scar-Boy!" She grinned. "I want to yell at you a bit more, but I know that you want to make amends with your Uncle. So, go on in there then." She jerked her head towards the tent. "He's been waiting for you…"

"Can you get off me, first please?" I asked politely.

"Am I heavy?"

"Y-no-yes…umm…" I stammered, and she laughed, but she did let me up again.

_O~O~O~O_

**Aang's P.O.V:**

I looked up towards the sky.

I could sense that Emma was watching me, sympathetically.

All of the past Avatars I had spoken to had basically told me the same thing – I would have to kill the Fire Lord.

"I guess I have no choice." I said to Emma, standing up.

She walked over to me, with Momo on one shoulder and Yang-Chong on the other.

The phoenix looked sad, and began to sing the most sorrowful song I had ever heard.

Emma and I listened to it, before she stepped up to me, and put her arms around me. We were about the same height, and she looked into my eyes.

"Aang," She said. "Listen to me. I never knew how hard this was going to be for you…I never knew…how much it would tear me up inside to see _this_ tearing _you_ up inside…I thought that…well, at any rate, that was _before_ I became what I am." Her golden eyes were filled with tears, but they didn't spill over. "Sometimes in life…we have to face things we don't want to face but…always, _always_ there is another option, one we may not be aware of…" She looked to the side. "I had to come into my full Priestess powers early. I will have to pay a price for it, and it will happen soon…" She looked over her shoulder. "Those mountains are getting closer…come on, let's go!"

I was surprised at the sudden change of topic, until I realised that a pink symbol was glowing on her forehead. Something was about to happen, I was sure of it…

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I had honestly not expected my Uncle to forgive me, but he did…I was very, very happy about that.

Uncle was concerned about Emma, but he assured me that she would be okay.

He said that I alone could restore honour to the Fire Nation. He said that when my father fell, I must return to the Fire Nation so that I could assume the throne and restore peace and order.

However, Azula would be waiting for me.

I said that I could handle her, and asked Katara if she would like to come back with me to put Azula in her place. I knew that Katara had a score she needed to settle with my sister.

Sokka said that he, Toph and Suki would stop the airship fleet.

That was there destiny for today, on the Day Of Destiny…

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

Aang discovered that we were actually on the back of a giant Lion-Turtle.

We stood on a rocky outcrop, and looked at the ancient, wise creature.

Aang and I bowed, and then Aang asked the creature for help.

"The true mind can weather all the lies and illusions without being lost." The Lion Turtle said. "The true heart can touch the poison of hatred without being harmed. Since beginingless time darkness thrives in the void, but always yields to purifying light."

Aang and I were enveloped in the purifying green light, and I sensed that Aang had just realised what he had to do.

I did as well and, in that instant, I not only embraced my destiny, but accepted it also.

"Good luck, my children," The Lion-Turtle said to us. "Purify the hearts that have been tainted…do not be afraid…"

Aang looked at me, and we both nodded. We knew what needed to be done.

"After this day," I said to Aang. "I may never see you in this living land again...goodbye, my brother..."


	61. Pure Hearts

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE

Pure Hearts

_However, Azula would be waiting for me._

_I said that I could handle her, and asked Katara if she would like to come back with me to put Azula in her place. I knew that Katara had a score she needed to settle with my sister._

_Sokka said that he, Toph and Suki would stop the airship fleet._

_That was there destiny for today, on the Day Of Destiny…_

_O~O~O~O_

**Aang's P.O.V:**

As I watched Emma and Yang-Chong flying away from me, I felt a growing sense of emptiness. I knew, deep in my mind, what she was going to do and I guessed, all along, I had known she was probably going to have to do something like this. I just wished that she…didn't.

Above me, the sky had turned red, as Sozin's Comet streaked into the world's atmosphere.

I felt some sort of power growing inside of me, and imagined how the other Firebenders of the world must be feeling right now.

That thought was enough to prepare me for what _I_ would have to do. Enough to spur me forwards towards my own destiny…

"Momo, time for you to go." I told the Lemur, who had been by my side since I'd first gone to the Southern Air Temple in a hundred years.

Momo chattered, before flying away from me, and then I was really alone…which was how this needed to be. Just me versus him…just me versus the Fire Lord…

I thought briefly of the rest of the world, most of which were willing me to win on this day. I thought of my friends, each of them probably locked in his or her own battle…Zuko; Toph; Haru; Suki; Sokka and…especially Katara.

I closed my eyes briefly and, when I opened them again, I was ready to face the Fire Lord…

It didn't matter if I was ready to do it or not, because the Fire Lord was already here, ready to burn theEarthKingdomto the ground.

I wasn't going to let him.

_O~O~O~O_

**Azula's P.O.V:**

I was frustrated, angry and upset, but I wasn't going to let anything ruin my coronation ceremony. So what if Lo and Li, and the Dai Li, had decided to join the countless amounts of people who had already abandoned me? I didn't need them – I didn't need anyone! I was going to become Fire Lord on this day! I didn't need Mother or Father, or my worthless brother, or my two ex-best friends, or my two former mentors, or _anyone_! I could do this all by myself, and show them, once and for all that I, Azula, _deserved_ to be in charge! In command…in control…

Was I in control? Yes, I was! I hadn't had to throw everyone in prison or banish them, but I had done this so that they knew that _I_ was still in command here. They had all brought this on themselves…

One of the Fire Sages held the diadem above my head. "By decree of Phoenix King Ozai," He said, and I was practically quivering with excitement. Finally, this was it! You see, Mother? Who's your favourite now? ! "I now crown you, Fire Lord…" He paused.

"What are you waiting for?" I asked him impatiently. "Do it!"

I suddenly heard the slightly familiar growling of a giant sky bison, and it could only be one thing.

I turned to see the giant beast, carrying – who else? – my brother, and that pathetic Water Tribe girl…

"Sorry," My brother said, jumping off of the Sky Bison (what was its name? Appa?). "But you're not going to become Fire Lord today. _I am_." He declared.

Huh, as if! I laughed a little. "You're hilarious." I taunted him.

"And you're going down." The Water Tribe girl (Katara?) joined Zuko.

I looked between them, and smirked. "What's this? Found yourself a new girlfriend, Zuzu? Father will be _so_ pleased…" I laughed again, although bitterly. "I knew this would happen…"

Zuko looked only slightly annoyed, which surprised me, since he would usually have lost his temper by now.

His companion crossed her arms. "You know nothing, Azula." She told me. "If you did, then you wouldn't talk about love so lightly."

I waved away one of the Fire Sages who motioned the crown to me, and addressed Katara. "This doesn't concern you, peasant." I watched a flicker of annoyance cross Zuko's face, and smirked. "If my brother wants to be Fire Lord so badly, then he'll just have to duel me for it! The way it was always meant to be! To see who is the superior sibling! Father's not here to interrupt us this time, and Mother's not here to save you! It's just you and me, Zuko! An Agni Kai!"

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I hoped I wouldn't regret agreeing to duel Azula, but I knew that this had to stop. It had gone on for far too long.

I was concerned about something else, though, and I voiced it to Katara.

My sister was balancing the fine tightrope between sane and insane…or, so may already have fallen off.

My sister had slipped too far…her descent into insanity had been coming for years, I realized, and I hated myself for not noticing it before. True, she was cruel, sadistic and spiteful, but she was still my sister and, somewhere deep down (_very_ deep down) I cared about her. I also cared about our nation, though.

Which was why I couldn't let my sister be crowned Fire Lord.

The battle between my sister and I in the courtyard was intense, far more intense than our previous fight, or the time she and Emma had dueled each other.

Azula's blue flames were fuelled by her rage and hatred. My orange flames were fuelled by passion and the desire to protect the people I loved. The white Dragon Ring on my finger was growing slightly hotter with the flames, and I sensed that Emma was on her way here…

As Azula and I battled, I thought about better times. There weren't many of which I could remember.

My sister was scared, because I was in more control than she was. I remembered a time when we'd both been young – she'd only been about three – and she'd been scared of lightning storms. She'd crept into bed with me, and I'd told her what actually caused lightning. I don't think she'd understood very well, but she'd calmed down and fallen asleep with her arm across my chest.

I also remembered when she'd been even younger than that, and she'd been sick. Neither Mother nor Father could get her to eat but, when I'd offered her the spoonful of broth, with medicine mixed into it, she'd eaten it without a fuss. Mother had said that Azula looked up to me, and wanted to be just like me. I supposed that, back then, she must've been right…

I stopped shooting blasts of fire at Azula, and crouched onto the ground. I performed several spinning sweep kicks, the way Uncle had taught me, and a powerful ring of fire expanded outwards.

Azula had been running forwards, but now she attempted to stop and block my attacks at the same time, with a shield of blue fire, but she was too late and it connected.

As Azula was knocked back to the ground, gasping in pain, I remembered when she'd been about six, and she'd fallen and hurt her knee. It hadn't been too bad, but it had looked painful, and she'd been crying. It had been one of the last times I'd ever seen her cry. I'd held her hand, and she'd squeezed back and nearly broken my hand, as Mother applied the healing ointment.

_"You have to give it time to heal, Azula."_ Mother had said calmly.

As Azula staggered to her feet, clutching at her ribs, I called out to her: "We should stop this, sister! You have to give yourself time to heal!"

Azula's eyes flashed with both anger and insanity, and she shouted: "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO NEEDS TO HEAL! !"

She waved her fingertips around in arcs, to generate lightning, but there was something overly dramatic and irregular about her movements.

I realized what she was doing, however, and forced myself to breathe in deeply, and then out. I got into my stance, and prepared to receive and redirect the lightning.

I didn't know if I was going to hit Azula with it, though.

If I did, I would kill her.

Azula finished her motions, and the lightning crackled around her.

She suddenly glanced to her left and, in her golden irises, I saw Katara standing behind me, reflected in shock.

I knew what Azula was going to do even before _she_ knew, and that was why I was already moving when she swept her arms out, and directed a bolt of deadly lightning at Katara.

"NO! !" I shouted, as the blue lightning lit up my entire field of vision.

Behind me, I heard Katara half shriek, half gasp and, from somewhere seemingly far, far away, I heard another scream of 'no', that mirrored my own.

I felt the lightning pierce into me. I was able to redirect it away from my heart, but it still travelled through my chest and stomach, and I felt the burning hot, piercing pain all throughout my body then.

I blacked out even before I hit the ground.

_O~O~O~O_

**Toph's P.O.V:**

I couldn't believe that this was happening. We were sabotaging the airships, although some had still managed to set fire to the earth. But, worse than that, Suki and Haru were…no, I refused to believe that they were dead, but…how could they have survived a fall like that?

Suki, the spunky, girl-power advertiser, and Haru…awesome Haru, who had, I hated to admit it, a super cool voice…

I wondered how the others were going…was everyone else losing their battles the way we were?

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

I saw Zuko get hit with the lightning as if in slow motion, and I can't explain the fear and disbelief that rushed through me as he fell to the ground, a horrific burn across his chest.

I wanted to run to him, and use my abilities to heal him before it was too late, but Azula disallowed me to.

This was how I found myself engaged in a deadly battle with Princess Azula.

As I bended water from nearby ducts, I saw, to my surprise, a strange blueish-purple light around my hands, which seemed to be reacting to the golden light around Azula's hands.

Azula noticed it, and her laugh was something like a cackle. "Ahahaha, another Priestess? ! Perhaps Father will take _you_ in, too!" Her face was contorted with rage. "I don't _want_ _two_ Step-Mothers!"

The fire that was directed at me after that was even more vicious than it had been before, but all I could think of at that point was what Azula had first said: _Another Priestess? I was a Priestess? !_

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

Nothing could have prepared me for seeing the lightning hit Zuko. It was like Iroh and Aang all over again, but a thousand times worse.

As Azula took her anger out on Katara, I ran to Zuko, with Yang-Chong flying just behind me.

"Zuko!" I gasped, falling to my knees beside his body. "Zuko, no!" I put a hand on his chest, and took some water from my water skin, as my hand glowed blue. Yang-Chong landed beside Zuko, and put his head to Zuko's chest, crying his healing tears.

Zuko was not breathing.

"Zuko, please, come on!" I begged, unable to stop my own tears from falling. "Zuko, my love! Please!" My shoulders began shaking.

This wasn't supposed to happen! Zuko wasn't supposed to die! How had this happened? Had he not redirected the lightning enough?

"Zuko!" I cried, allowing myself one final sob before I began CPR…for the second time, I wanted to breathe life into him but, this time, I was breathing my very life _essence_ into him…

_O~O~O~O_

**Aang's P.O.V:**

Fire Lord Ozai was more powerful than I could have possibly imagined he would be. He was far more devastating, far more frightening, and far more…well, _evil_. Nothing could have prepared me for this.

The turning point came when I entered theAvatarState.

It was a horrific decision, one I wouldn't have made if I'd had any other choice.

However, I didn't _have_ any other choice. Even though it was dangerous, I _had_ to call upon the power of my former lives.

Even though, if I died, then the Avatar reincarnation cycle would be broken. It was a choice I made in that instant, and I just hoped that I wouldn't regret it.

_O~O~O~O_

**Sokka's P.O.V:**

My leg breaking was the least of our worries. I was literally hanging by my fingertips from one of the airships. If I fell, I'd fall to my death, into the raging inferno below.

To make matters worse, Toph was clinging to me, unable to do anything but trust me and, I was about to break her trust. I couldn't hold on anymore, and the Fire Nation soldiers were advancing.

"It looks like this is the end." I told her.

Something wet hit the side of my neck – Toph was crying.

That was possibly harder to accept than the fact that we had failed.

_O~O~O~O_

**Nobody's P.O.V:**

"What's going on? !" Tai Li-Jun fairly yelled. "Why aren't you _doing_ something? !"

"There is nothing that can be done." Kwan Yin replied.

"If you don't, then they're going to die!" Tai Li-Jun screamed. Her face was flushed, and her eyes were bright. "Kwan Yin, you _can't_ let them die! Not after everything that's happened!"

Kwan Yin said nothing, but simply turned away, so that the other Goddess wouldn't see her crying…

_O~O~O~O_

**Haru's P.O.V:**

I looked at Suki, who was looking at me, her blue eyes wide. But, there was also a fierce determination there.

"We can't let it end like this." Suki swept her arm out, and gestured around her.

"Agreed." I nodded. "What did you have in mind?"

Suki pointed to the front of the airship, where the control room was. "Utter annihilation." She replied, and we both began running.

_O~O~O~O_

**Katara's P.O.V:**

I was ready for Azula, when she came around the corner, and lunged at me, with the lightning just at her fingertips, pointing at my neck.

We were both frozen then, as I brought up the water from the grates below us, and froze us both in ice. There were chains attached to the grates, and so I was able to chain the Fire Bender up. Without the use of her arms and legs, she wouldn't be able to Firebend.

I checked to make sure the chains were secure, before releasing us both from the watery prison.

I then turned, and saw, to my surprise, a black-clad figure hunched over Prince Zuko. A golden phoenix was perched beside them.

Emma! And, Yang-Chong!

_O~O~O~O_

**Aang's P.O.V:**

"_Fire Lord Ozai,_" I and an innumerable amount of previous Avatars said in unison. "_You and your Forefathers have devastated the balance of this world and now…you shall pay the ultimate price._"

Ozai looked scared. I knew then and there that he thought I was going to kill him, but I had no intentions of ending it that way.

I was going to merge my soul with the Fire Lord's, and _bend_ his spirit. I was going to do what I should have done in the first place.

I was going to remove his powers of Firebending…permanently…

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

The first indications that I got that Zuko was alive again, was when I felt the black Dragon Ring on my finger warm up. It filled me with enough joy and warmth for me to realize, and I realized that I'd closed my eyes.

I opened them again, and looked straight into Zuko's eyes.

"Hello…Princess…" Zuko said, a little weakly.

I was still crying, of course. "Zuko!" I threw my arms around him. "Oh my God! _I was so afraid I'd lose you again_!" I sobbed.

He raised himself up on one arm, and put the other one around me. "Hey, it's okay…" He said.

"Actually, it's not." Katara said from behind us. "What is she _wearing_?"

"Those are the clothes she was wearing on the day she came to this world." Zuko looked at my black skirt and top, and then back up at me. "Emma, care to explain?"

I didn't get a chance to because, just then, we all heard Azula's voice. She was chanting something, in a language that sounded like old Chinese.

"What's she doing?" Katara asked, glancing down at her glowing hands. Azula's hands were glowing, too, as were mine.

I gasped, and stood up, fast. "She's trying to use her powers of a Priestess to kill herself and us!" I ran forwards, and up to Azula. I grabbed her hands in mine, and began chanting a counter curse. All the while I was thinking: _I'm so weak…I can't…do this…_

I _had_ to, though. There was no other choice – otherwise, all four of us were going to die on this day.

Just then, from over my shoulder, I heard Katara say: "I _know_ this…my Mum used to sing it as a lullaby for me and my brother…it's…" And, to my complete surprise, Katara began chanting as well, her voice sounding less like her own and more like her Mother's…like Kya's.

I could feel the strength of Katara's Mother through Katara's chanting and – by extension – the strength of the whole entire Southern Water Tribe as well. I could feel the power of the Northern Water Tribe within me as well, and Princess Yue's powers from the moon.

The entireEarthKingdomwas with us, giving us their strength. And, so were the Air Nomads, even though they were gone – after all, death is only an illusion…

It was an awesome experience, one a Priestess spends her whole entire life training for…

At the same time, however, I could feel Azula's powers pushing against my own. Katara and I had created some sort of a spiritual barrier, and Azula's powers were trying to break through it. If Katara and I gave up, we would lose…

No…we couldn't do that! Katara was the last Waterbender left in the Southern Water Tribe! She _had_ to survive this! And Zuko…Zuko, my beloved Prince, soon to be crowned Fire Lord…

And Azula…

I felt a deep and painful sense of sadness for the Fire Princess. It was true, she was (to put it mildly) a bitch, and she'd tried to kill us, _had_ actually killed our Avatar, had possibly had her two best friends killed, was selfish and stubborn and spoilt and insane…but…

All of these things could (possibly) be fixed. _Why_ was she insane? During my continuous chanting, I sensed the pain and loneliness in the Fire Princess' song. She was feeling scared, and hurt and abandoned, and _that_ had made her insane. Her Father had had a weird way of showing her that he loved her – by pushing her to become a cold and cruel leader, just like him. Her Mother had left, and had seemed to love Zuko more than her. Even her Uncle seemed to be against her. Everyone was leaving her, and nobody was in her corner.

It was unfair and, in that instant, I accepted things, and let my power and conscience seep towards the corners of the Princess' heart.

In our minds, I could hear the Princess' voice. _No…I don't want it to be this way…just let me die!_

_No, Azula!_ I forced myself to think at her, very clearly. _This is not the way to do things! You're still young…you have your whole life ahead of you! Please, Azula, think about all the people who care about you!_

_What people? !_ Azula was more upset than angry. I could see her clearly through the haze now – a scared little child with huge, tear-filled eyes. She had her lower lip stuck out, and was attempting to act tough to cover up how scared she was. _There's nobody here who cares about me! Everyone abandoned me! Even Mai and Ty-Lee…I thought that…they were my friends! I thought they actually _cared_ about me, but nobody does!_

_That's not true!_ I was firm about this. _Azula, look at me and your brother – we came here to _help_ you! It doesn't seem like we're helping you, but we are! Zuko…he _cares_ about you, he wants what's best for you!_

_Which is _what_? !_ Azula screamed. _You're wrong! Nobody cares about me!_

_You're wrong…_ I thought, calmly. _Why else would I be doing this?_

_To save yourself…_ Azula looked at me with wounded eyes.

I shook my head, and realized then that I was a little child, crouched beside Azula like two children in a playground. _No…that isn't it…_

Azula looked at me curiously. Then, her eyes widened. _Wait…what? You'd do that…for me?_ I nodded. _But…why?_

_Because…_ I reached over and picked up her hands, and suddenly we were standing there as teenagers again. _You and I are…friends…_

Quieter tears filled Azula's eyes then, and she began to sob silently. I put my arms around her, and hugged her, feeling the strength of her resolve to murder-suicide wavering until, finally, they were gone, and I was left holding her in real life as well.

Behind me, I heard Katara fall to her knees on the ground. "Is…is it over?" The Waterbender asked quietly.

"I think so…" I heard Zuko reply. Then: "Emma…? Azula…?"

Azula didn't seem ready to answer just yet, so I replied for her. "Yes…it's finally the end…"

My heart began to pound, and suddenly I was overcome with a sense of exhaustion. It was a struggle just to keep my eyes open…

_O~O~O~O_

**Aang's P.O.V:**

I looked at the former Fire Lord, and he looked at me.

He had just discovered that I had taken away his Firebending, and he was furious, but what could he do?

Nothing.

It was finally over.

"You did it!" I heard Sokka shout, and turned to see him hobbling towards me, being support by Suki and Haru on account of his broken leg. Toph stood nearby to Haru, grinning away. "You should have seen yourself, it was amazing!"

Suki wanted to know if I'd finished the job, and I told them what had happened – about meeting a giant Lion-Turtle and then taking away Ozai's Firebending.

They were all really impressed.

Just then, I felt something painful shoot through my heart. I looked around me, but the pain hadn't been caused by any physical object. No…it was more like a spiritual pain…like something bad was about to happen, and there wasn't a thing that could be done about it…

"What's wrong?" Haru asked me.

"Something's happened…" I looked up at the sky, as the Comet left earth, and the sky turned from red to blue. "Something good…but then something bad…"

Suki suddenly gasped, and whipped a golden fan out of her robes. She held it in her hands, up to the dim light and, as we watched, it cracked, right up the middle, and the splinters fell to the ground. "Emma!" Suki cried.

"No…" I remembered what Emma had said to me, just before she'd left. "Oh no…"

_O~O~O~O_

**Emma's P.O.V:**

I looked up at the sky, a sit turned from red to blue, and wasn't able to do anything about the black fog around the corners of my eyes.

I could only half see Azula and Katara, looking on from the sidelines, but I could see Zuko's face clearly, and he looked terrified.

"Emma…" He whispered, taking my hands in his. "Emma, what's happening…"

"This was…my contract." I replied, surprised by how steady my voice sounded. "In order to save myself before, I had to come into my full Priestess powers early, but…there was a price to pay."

Zuko's eyes widened. "Y-you mean…?"

I tried to nod, but I couldn't. Yang-Chong landed on Zuko's shoulder, and stared at me with his deep blue eyes. I knew that he knew. "I don't…regret it…" I told Zuko. "Because of this…I got to spend some extra time with you…I got to love you just a little bit longer…I got to save your sister…" I didn't think it was a good idea to tell Zuko that I was going to leave him _because_ I'd saved his sister. He didn't need to know that. "You take care of her Zuko, you hear me? She's precious…"

"So are you!" Zuko cried. There were tears in his eyes now. "Emma…please…don't leave me…please…"

"Zuko…" I interrupted him. "I'm really scared…don't make me anymore scared…please…"

Zuko swallowed. He looked more upset than I had ever seen him before. "Wh-what can I do?" He asked desperately. He looked over his shoulder at something. "Katara? What can we do?" She must've shaken her head or something, because Zuko's hands began to shake. "Can't you…?"

"She can't…" I said quietly. I could feel a deep, hollow feeling inside of me, that was eerily calm as well. "But…she's strong…Katara is…she's like a sister to me…Kya would be…so proud…of her…beautiful and a talented Waterbender…but kind, and caring, too…she's…going to marry Aang…Aang, who saved us all…" I murmured. "Aang is strong, too…but he's also funny and spirited, and like my Soul Brother…Sokka…he's gonna marry Suki…those two are…warriors…Sokka's so funny but smart, too…and Suki is beautiful and kind…Toph is beautiful, too…and tough…she's gonna…probably found a police force…or, something…she'll marry the kind, brave Haru…"

"Emma…" Zuko raised my hands to his lips. "Emma…please don't…"

"Zuko…" I interrupted him again, and forced myself to keep my eyes open, to say what needed to be said. "Zuko…my beloved…I've always been in love with you…from even…before I met you…do you know?"

He nodded. His tears splashed down onto my face. "I know…I know _exactly_ what you mean…"

"I want you to know…" I whispered. "You're strong, and handsome…you're kind…I love you for _exactly_ who you are…for the person you are…and will…always be…"

"Emma…I love you…" Zuko whispered.

I gulped. "Zuko…I know…" I felt his lips brush lightly against mine, but I could barely feel them. "I want you to know…I'll _always_ love you…I'll always be in your heart, because…what we had…was special…nothing I've _ever_ had before…" I had to say these important words to him, before it was too late. It was almost too late…I could feel something changing in me…somehow, I was slowing down…

"Emma…" Zuko looked shocked.

Did it really look that bad?

"Zuko…I love you…until forever comes…" I whispered. "Goodbye…"


	62. Light Pink

AVATAR

The Young Lady Of Legends

_She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc_

_O~O~O~O_

CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO

Light Pink

_"This was…my contract." I replied, surprised by how steady my voice sounded. "In order to save myself before, I had to come into my full Priestess powers early, but…there was a price to pay."_

_O~O~O~O_

**Zuko's P.O.V:**

I stood by my window as the morning sunlight streamed in. The bandage around my torso was making it difficult for me to put on my outer robes – it was the day of my coronation ceremony. I _had_ to get these robes on, but my body wasn't cooperating.

Just when I was wondering what would happen if I was to ditch the day completely, I heard a reasonable-sounding voice say: "You need some help with that?"

I turned around quickly, and was shocked to see Mai leaning against the doorframe, smiling calmly.

"Mai!" I cried, as she walked towards me. "You're okay!" I held out my arms to her, and we embraced. "You're not dead!"

"Clearly." Mai replied, though she was smiling, as she let go of me and helped me into my robes. "Azula actually came to get Ty-Lee and me out of prison…she was acting rather…strangely…" She looked into my eyes. "And you…are you okay?" She put a hand on the side of my face.

I closed my eyes briefly, and then opened them to look right at her. "I'll be fine…"

"Good." Mai nodded. "Because the Fire Nation needs you."

I nodded as well. "I know…I hope I can become the ruler they want me to be."

"You will." Mai replied confidently. "I'll be here to tell you if you don't."

I knew she meant it, too. If I wasn't a good ruler, I'd probably end up with a stiletto in my eye.

"Friends?" I asked her, holding out my hand.

Mai took it. "I'm your advisor, actually…but…yeah, friends, too." She agreed.

We smiled at each other.

_O~O~O~O_

I walked down the corridor, and came across Aang, who was meditating.

I realized that, not only did I owe him everything, but my people did as well. There was no way I could ever repay the debt, except by making sure that the Fire Nation never fell back into the avarice again.

"I can't believe a year ago my purpose in life was hunting you down, and now…" I trailed off.

"And now we're friends." Aang smiled.

"Yeah…we are friends…" This was the second time I had used that word today, and it felt good to say it out-loud.

"I can't believe a year ago," Aang rose. "I was still frozen in a block of ice. So much has happened…the World's so different now…"

"And it's gonna be even more different," I told him. "When we build it together."  
><em>O~O~O~O<em>

_Today…this war is finally over…I promised my Uncle that I would restore the honour of the Fire Nation, and I will. The road ahead of us is challenging. A hundred years of fighting has left the world scarred, and divided. But, with the Avatar's help, we can get it back on the right path, and begin a new era of love and peace._

_O~O~O~O_

**Aang's P.O.V:**

We were back at Iroh's tea shop, in Ba Sing Se.

'We' meaning myself; Katara; Haru; Toph; Suki; Sokka; Mai; Zuko, Zhu and Iroh himself.

Sokka was getting annoyed at Zuko for moving, and explained to us that he was trying to 'capture the moment' on paper.

Katara had what looked like Momo's ears, but Sokka swore up-and-down that those were her hair-loopies.

Zuko claimed that he looked like a Boarcupine, and that his hair was _not_ that spiky.

Mai thought she looked like a man.

For some reason, Suki was Firebending. Zhu wanted to know why her hair looked like the spikes drawn around the sun.

Haru's moustache covered almost all of his face, and Toph looked like her Wanted poster.  
>Iroh wasn't happy about how big he looked.<p>

I walked out of the room then, as Zuko stated, very calmly, that Emma had never been as short as how Sokka had drawn her.  
>I stood out on the balcony overlooking Ba Sing Se, and the sun was setting in a perfect combination of orange and gold.<p>

Katara joined me.

"He's still upset." She whispered to me.

I nodded. "I know…even though he's trying to be strong, it's still going to be hurting him. And…it probably will…forever…"

Katara sighed. "I feel bad, about starting our relationship, when Zuko's just lost his…"

I looked at her. "Don't feel bad about it…Katara…there's something I didn't tell Zuko…"

"What?" She asked me.

"Well…it's what you guys said…how Emma's body disappeared into a million points of pink light…" I looked down at the necklace I was wearing, that I had once made for Monk Gyatso. "And, then they were talking about the vow they made back at the Western Air Temple…when two people who are bonded the way I think they were make a true vow like that…then…the heavens and earths will be shifted to make it happen…"

"So…" Katara looked at me. "There's a chance that she's still alive?"

I nodded. "I don't want to tell Zuko yet, though…just in case…"

Katara blinked, but there was a slight glimmer of hope in her beautiful blue eyes that hadn't been there before…

Just then, we both heard the most beautiful and haunting song ever, and knew that, for just a moment, Yang-Chong had returned, to mourn for his fallen mistress one last time.

_O~O~O~O_

**Somebody's P.O.V:**

I looked up at the sky, as the beautiful song of a mourning phoenix grew louder, and then a golden male phoenix appeared.

He dropped a Black Dragon Ring into my hand, and landed on my arm, crying mournfully.

"There, there, little one…" I said calmly, running my hand down the length of his back. "I understand…don't worry…we can make everything all right again…" I promised him. He looked up at me with gleaming blue eyes. "That's right, little one…I am the Priestess Of _Dong Wu_…" I could see my face reflected in the phoenix's blue eyes, and my own calm, golden eyes. "I have been to the Spirit World and have come back…and now…" I looked out towards the West, as if seeing my home nation beyond the horizon. "I am ready to go home…and see my children…I can make everything alright again…for my daughter...and for my son…"

_O~O~O~O_

**Nobody's P.O.V:**

The young lady wore a black singlet, a black waist tie with a red ribbon over her black skirt, black strappy-shoes and a red yin-yang pendant on a red choker around her neck.

She was crying but, for half a second, she couldn't remember why, until she looked at the television and saw the screen frozen in place. Oh, that's right – she'd brought the movie, _The Last Airbender_, without permission, and she'd gotten punished for it.

She looked at the screen and said, in a completely normal voice: "Zuko…I wish you were real…"

_O~O~O~O_

~~_Jiéshù_~~


End file.
